Six kilometres from Karadjaviran is the village of Yesilöz. It is notable for the church "Tagar kilisesi", built in honour of St. Theodora. There is a necropolis three kilometres away.
This Greek church is not a very ancient building. It was built in the 11th century. The church had a T-shaped plan of construction, which is unique among the churches of Cappadocia. It was originally covered with a dome. Later the dome collapsed and the roof was covered with glass. The first floor of the gallery can be reached by a staircase.
The frescoes on the inner walls are well preserved and have survived to this day. There are stylistic differences in them, due to the fact that they were made by three different artists working here at different periods of time. They depict scenes from the Bible: the Annunciation, the birth of Christ, the appearance of the prophets, the apostles, Jesus on the cross, the angels Gabriel and Michael, images of saints in medallions.
The church was opened on 15 May 1858 with the permission of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmejid at the request of the Christians of Malakopia (as Derinkuyu was called at that time), as evidenced by a plaque located at the western entrance. Today, some of the letters on this inscription have collapsed, but the relief of the cross has been preserved. There are other reliefs on the left and right, such as the figure of St George. Apart from this, the bell tower is also in fairly good condition. After the famous "population exchange" the church was used for various household needs. Today it is closed for visitors and there is nothing inside. However, once or twice a year it is periodically opened for services. This happens at Easter and Christmas.
According to some surviving evidence, St Theodora served in the Byzantine army under the name of Captain Theodoris. In order to fulfil a military obligation concerning her family, she was forced to go into service dressed in men's clothing. While on duty, Theodoris was unjustly accused of unlawful acts and killed on what is now the site of a church. Another legend says that St Theodora was from the Macedonian royal dynasty and was the daughter of Emperor Constantine. She ruled from 1055-1056 until the ruler Michael the Military came to power. According to one account she was assassinated, and according to others Theodora became seriously ill and died.
Every year on the eleventh of September the feast of Saint Theodora is celebrated. On this day, a large number of pilgrims come here to worship a unique place where nature and faith stand so close to each other that they feel like one.
