What important Eastern Orthodox Church in Turkey was converted into a mosque?
Hagia Sophia
Originally built as a Christian Orthodox church and serving that purpose for centuries, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans upon their conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, it was declared a museum by the secularist Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Which church was converted to mosque in Turkey?
Two former Byzantine churches of Istanbul, the famed Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, which served as museums for decades, have been converted to mosques in the space of a month. This has raised concerns. Istanbul’s Greek Orthodox community knows that more is at stake than these two monuments.
How was Hagia Sophia converted into a mosque?
Beginning with subsequent Byzantine architecture, Hagia Sophia became the paradigmatic Orthodox church form, and its architectural style was emulated by Ottoman mosques a thousand years later. After the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, it was converted to a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror.
Is Chora Church now a mosque?
In November 2019, the Turkish Council of State, Turkey’s highest administrative court, ordered that it was to be reconverted to a mosque. In August 2020, its status changed to a mosque. The move to convert Chora Church into a mosque was condemned by the Greek Foreign Ministry, Greek Orthodox and Protestant Christians.
What is a mosque used for?
The mosque is a place to gather for prayers, to study and to celebrate festivals such as Ramadan. It can also be used to house schools and community centres. The Arabic word for mosque, “masjid”, means “place of prostration”.
What was the main significance of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople?
Mehmed surrounded Constantinople from land and sea while employing cannon to maintain a constant barrage of the city’s formidable walls. The fall of the city removed what was once a powerful defense for Christian Europe against Muslim invasion, allowing for uninterrupted Ottoman expansion into eastern Europe.
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