The Grape Church (Üzümlü Kilise) is the other main decorated church in the Zelve complex, named for the grape and vine carvings that adorn its walls. Like the Fish Church, it dates from a period before the iconoclastic controversy of the 8th century and uses symbolic rather than figurative decoration. The grape vine is a natural Christian symbol — the Eucharist, the vine of the church — and it appears frequently in early Byzantine religious carving.
The church occupies a carved chamber in the valley wall and is accessed by a carved staircase. The interior is less dramatic than some of the painted churches at Göreme but the carving is of good quality and the setting — embedded in the cliff face in the middle of the valley — is striking. Combined with the Fish Church and the general exploration of the valleys, it makes a satisfying half-day.