ANKARA, Turkey – The Turkish government formally established a former Byzantine church in a mosque, a move that came a month after it was praised by the loyal and international opposition for comparing Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia landmark to a Muslim one. prayer.
A decision by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, published in the official Gazette of the country, said that the Church of Saint Richter in Chora, known as Kariye in Turkish, was handed over to the religious authority of Turkey, which oversaw the structure would open to Muslim prayers.
Like the Hagia Sophia, which was a church for centuries and then a mosque for centuries, had worked as a museum for decades before Erdogan ordered it restored as a mosque. It was not immediately known when the first prayers would be held there.
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) captured indoors with fish-eye lenses. Warm tone given. Unrecognizable people visible. See more Istanbul
The church, close to the old city walls, is famous for its extensive mosaics and frescoes. It dates from the 4th century, although the building took its present form in the 11th-12th century.
The structure served as a mosque during Ottoman rule before it was transformed into a museum in 1945. A court ruling last year annulled the building’s status as a museum, paving the way for Friday’s decision.
And as with the Hagia Sophia, the decision to transform the Chora back into a mosque is seen as aimed at consolidating the conservative and religious support base of Erdogan’s ruling party at a time when its popularity is declining amid a economic decline.
People visit the Byzantine period Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the main tourist attractions of Istanbul, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, on 10 July.
(AP Photo / Emrah Gurel)
Greece’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the move, saying Turkish authorities were “again brutally insulting the character” of another UN-designated World Heritage Site.
“This is a provocation against all believers,” the Greek ministry said in a statement. “We urge Turkey to go back to the 21st century, and the mutual respect, dialogue and understanding between civilizations.”
Elpidophoros, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, wrote on Twitter: “After the tragic transgression with Hagia Sophia, now the Monastery of Chora, this wonderful offering of Byzantine culture to the world!”
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Several residents of Istanbul rode to the building on Friday night, and some are hoping to hold prayers there, Turkey’s state government Anadolu Agency reported.
“Like the Hagia Sophia, this is an important mosque for Muslims,” said the agency resident Cuma Er in Istanbul. ‘We came here to pray after learning about the decision. But we are told that it is not yet open for prayers. We are waiting for the opening. ”
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Last month, Erdogan joined hundreds of worshipers for the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia in 86 years, dismissing international criticism and asking to keep the monument as a museum in recognition of the heritage of Istanbul’s multi-faith. Up to 350,000 took part in the prayers outside the structure.
