File:Ağaçaltı Church (Daniel Pantonassa) 9-11 century.jpg

English: Ascension of Jesus

This church hidden behind a mass of rocks on the left side of the stream. These crossvaulted church is also referred to by the designation of "The Church of Daniel" because of the fresco of Daniel illustrated between two lions on the wall facing the door. The elongated nave extending from the door forms the main section of the church and the dome is at the apse. The square space is covered by an octagonal dome. The church which was probably consecrated to Pantenessa has inscriptions, historical scenes and geometrical patterns painted. Of the inscriptions only one is legible. Here the virgin is called "The Queen of Angels". On the southerm aisle we see the Annunciation, on the northern spandrel, the Visitation and the Nativity in the west, we observe the hommage rendered to the child Christ, and in the north and in the west the death of the Virgin Mary. The scene of Assumption painted on the inner surface of the main large dome is well preserved. On the western aisle is Daniel between two lions. The overall aspect of the frescoes is foreign to the Byzantine art. On a background where cream, earth colour and dark blue alternate, the brush has painted in red, orange, grey, bright green and dark brown.

The ornaments indicate that the artists were masters in their art, although the bodies, the faces and the costumes betray their clumsiness in figurative drawing. Some of these decoration reveal the influence of Arabian art while others seem to be the continuation of the art of the Christian era.