Just after Hagia Sophia, Turkey turns yet another museum into mosque

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish federal government formally converted a former Byzantine church into a mosque Friday, a shift that came a month after it drew praise from the devoted and intercontinental opposition for equally turning Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia into a Muslim house of prayer.

A final decision by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, published in the country’s Official Gazette, mentioned Istanbul’s Church of St. Saviour in Chora, regarded as Kariye in Turkish, was handed to Turkey’s spiritual authority, which would open up up the structure for Muslim prayers.

Like the Hagia Sophia, which was a church for generations and then a mosque for hundreds of years extra, experienced operated as a museum for decades ahead of Erdogan ordered it restored as a mosque. It was not promptly recognized when the 1st prayers would be held there.

The church, located close to the historic town partitions, is famed for its elaborate mosaics and frescoes. It dates to the 4th century, although the edifice took on its present sort in the 11th-12th generations.

The framework served as a mosque during the Ottoman rule just before becoming transformed into a museum in 1945. A court determination final yr canceled the building’s position as a museum, paving the way for Friday’s choice.

And as with the Hagia Sophia, the choice to renovate the Chora back into a mosque is observed as geared to consolidate the conservative and spiritual guidance base of Erdogan’s ruling get together at a time when his level of popularity is sagging amid an economic downturn.

Individuals check out the Byzantine-period Hagia Sophia, an UNESCO Entire world Heritage web site and 1 of Istanbul’s most important vacationer points of interest in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, July 10.
(AP Image/Emrah Gurel)

See also  La Palma: the cone of the volcano is in danger of collapsing

Greece’s Overseas Ministry strongly condemned the shift, declaring that Turkish authorities “are as soon as again brutally insulting the character” of a different U.N.-detailed globe heritage internet site.

“This is a provocation in opposition to all believers,” the Greek ministry stated in a assertion. “We urge Turkey to return to the 21st century, and the mutual regard, dialogue and comprehension in between civilizations.”

Elpidophoros, the Greek Orthodox archbishop of The usa, wrote on Twitter: “After the tragic transgression with Hagia Sophia, now the Monastery of Chora, this exquisite offering of Byzantine society to the environment!”

HAGIA SOPHIA HOSTS Very first PRAYER Considering that REOPENING, 86 Decades After Changing TO A MUSEUM

Quite a few Istanbul inhabitants rushed to the constructing Friday, some hoping to hold prayers there, Turkey’s condition-run Anadolu Agency reported.

“Like the Hagia Sophia, this is an vital mosque for Muslims,” the company quoted Istanbul resident Cuma Er as saying. “We arrived below to pray following we figured out about the conclusion. But we have been advised that it has not yet been opened for prayers. We are ready for the opening.”

Click on Below TO GET THE FOX News Application

Final thirty day period, Erdogan joined hundreds of worshipers for the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia in 86 yrs, brushing apart the global criticism and phone calls for the monument to be retained as a museum in recognition of Istanbul’s multi-faith heritage. As lots of as 350,000 took section in the prayers outside the framework.