In the Iconoclastic era, the apse of the church was embellished with plain gold mosaics with only one great cross, similarly to the Hagia Irene in Constantinople and the Church of the Dormition in Nicaea. The cross was substituted with the image of the Theotokos (God-bearer, or Mary) in 787-797 after the victory of the Iconodules.
During the Iconoclastic period, the church's apse was adorned with simple gold mosaics featuring a single prominent cross, mirroring the design of Hagia Irene in Constantinople and the Church of the Dormition in Nicaea. The cross was later replaced by an image of the Theotokos (Mother of God) between 787-797, following the Iconodules' triumph.