After the Basilica of Santa Sofia, another historic church in Istanbul, considered among the world masterpieces of Byzantine art, will be turned into a mosque. The decision was taken by the Erdogan government. This is San Salvatore in Chora, famous worldwide for its frescoes, as reported by the Turkish newspaper "Yeni Safak". It will be called the Kariye Mosque. Just like the case of Santa Sofia, this building has also been a museum for almost 80 years.
The future "Kariye Mosque" will start its religious activity at the end of February by opening its doors for Islamic prayers. The religious-themed frescoes on the life of Christ that it contains will be covered by drapes. San Salvatore in Chora is considered one of the most important examples of Byzantine sacred architecture in the world and dates back to a 6th-century monastery, which later also included the current church in the 12th century. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church was converted into a mosque in 1511. After World War II, the church was restored by American experts and used as a museum since 1945 by order of the then Council of Ministers, and as a state museum since 1958. This decision was overturned four years ago and the final conversion is now imminent.
In July 2020, the Erdogan government had converted Santa Sofia into a mosque, thus satisfying the request of Turkish Muslim fundamentalists and nationalists. Hagia Sophia was the largest church in Christianity for almost 1,000 years. In 1453, the Ottoman conquerors transformed it into a mosque. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal "Atatürk", declared the building a museum in 1934. The renewed conversion into a mosque by the Erdogan government has sparked fierce international protests.
Santa Sofia returns to being a mosque after 86 years. Erdogan: "Islamic prayer on July 24"
This article is automatically translated