Architectural styles

For the first time in more than two centuries, there will be no Christmas service at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The cathedral suffered a severe fire in April this year. Eight months later, repair works at one of the most famous Christian temples continues.

Fifty years after Italy's Matera was a national embarrassment because of its extreme poverty, the city is rescuing its dignity, baroque palaces and cave churches to become a European Capital of Culture.

The Öşvank Monastery in the eastern province of Erzurum's Uzundere district, which dates back around 1,000 years, has been attracting local and foreign tourists who come for its religious significance and architectural features.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has concluded his Latin America tour one day earlier than planned, skipping a visit to pre-Columbian pyramids in Mexico, Anadolu Agency reported on Feb. 13, citing presidential sources.

This is a masterpiece of religious architecture during the lifetime of Stephen the Great, a combination of rectangular planes, semi-circular vaults, tri-lobe planes and a belfry erected above the nave. Built on July 15, 1497 - November 11, 1498, the church has been preserved almost intact, with the exception of the paintings.