Turkish media outlets have reported that the Byzantine Chora Church in Constantinople is slated to be reopened as a mosque.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend a ceremony marking the completion of restoration works by the Directorate General of Foundations, which includes the preservation of 201 historical monuments, including the Chora Church.
As per the schedule, President Erdogan is set to participate in a ceremony at the conference center of the presidential palace in Ankara, during which he will establish a direct connection with the Chora Monastery.
Earlier reports had suggested that the inauguration of the historic Byzantine church, renowned for its priceless mosaics, would occur around February 23. However, the General Directorate of Foundations of Turkey refuted these claims, stating that the Chora Church is scheduled to function as a mosque starting in May.
The works lasted four years.
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, serving as the katholikon of the former monastic complex, traces its origins back to the 6th century AD. Its remarkable mosaics and frescoes, renowned for their uniqueness, were crafted during the 14th century, specifically from 1305 to 1320, under the patronage of the Palaiologoi dynasty.
It is the monument with the most elaborate Byzantine mosaics preserved in Constantinople, along with the Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Pammakaristos, which also operates as a mosque called Fethiye. In 2020, Hagia Sophia was also designated for Muslim religious worship.
The Chora Church was converted into a mosque in 1511, 58 years after the Fall of Constantinople. However, in 1945, by decision of the Turkish government, it was transformed into a museum.
Following this decision, experts from the US embarked on an extensive restoration and preservation project for the mosaics and frescoes, meticulously removing the plaster that obscured them. The works, which began in 1948, were completed a decade later, in 1958.
In 2019, Turkey’s State Council (Danistay) nullified the 1945 decision, and a year later, President Erdogan declared that the monument would reopen as a mosque.
Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos
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