Byzantine church in Trabzon converted into mosque

Turkish authorities covered the priceless Byzantine frescoes and mosaics of Hagia Sophia in Trabzon with curtains and carpets in order to operate the church as a mosque.

Hagia Sophia, Trabzon [Credit: WikiCommons]

The Byzantine church, which has been a museum since 1961, dates to the thirteenth century when Trabzon was the capital of the Empire of Trebizond.

Recently, the jurisdiction of the church was transferred by court order from the Ministry of Tourism to the local Vakif Direction of Trabzon, which in turn decided to reopen the museum as a mosque, after almost half a century.

The first prayer was held a few days ago, after the icons and mosaics in the Hagia Sophia church had been permanantly covered with curtains and carpets.

The director of the Vakif Direction of Trabzon, Mazhar Gildirimhan, stated that "not a single nail was pinned nor the slightest damage was made."

However, the decision of the Turkish authorities to transform the museum into a mosque has caused controversy among progressive academic circles in Turkey.

Engin Akgiourek, Professor of Byzantine Art at the University of Istanbul, said that with this decision "the Erdogan government continued the Ottoman conquest of Trebizond" 'and shows that "cultural diversity.is not tolerated in Turkey".

He further noted that the Church of Hagia Sophia and the Sumela Monastery are the two most important Byzantine monuments in the area.

This is the second time in recent years that Turkish authorities have converted a Byzantine church into a mosque. The same fate befell the church of Hagia Sophia in Nicaia, Bithynia, where the Seventh Ecumenical Council convened in AD 787.

Source: To Vima [July 01, 2013]