Chora Mosque, like the historic Hagia Sophia, which holds sacred importance for both Christians and Muslims, was controversially converted from a museum to a mosque. As for Hagia Sophia, a portion of it was reopened for visits as a museum with the new entry regulations implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on January 15. In recent days, the opening of Chora Mosque, which holds exactly the same significance, is on the agenda. It has been announced that Chora, after a 4-year restoration by the General Directorate of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will be opened for worship in May.
Earlier, the news agencies reported citing the official announcement, reports that the restoration works at the Chora Church are in the final phase, and work has been launched to dedicate it to Islamic religious worship by May.
Earlier in 2020, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued an order for another ancient Orthodox Church, which had been converted into a mosque and later transformed into a famous Istanbul museum known as the Chora Museum, to revert to its status as a Mosque and serve as a mosque.
This decision to convert the Kariye Museum into a mosque follows a similarly contentious transformation of the UNESCO World Heritage-recognized Hagia Sophia, which took place just a month prior. The official decree regarding this matter was published in Turkey’s official gazette on Friday.
The 1,000-year-old structure, the Holy Saviour in Chora, shares a parallel history with its larger neighbor, the Hagia Sophia, situated on the historic western bank of the Golden Horn on the European side of Istanbul.
Originally a medieval Byzantine church adorned with 14th-century frescoes depicting the Last Judgement, the Holy Saviour in Chora holds immense significance in the Christian world.
Following the Ottoman Turks’ conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church was converted into the Kariye Mosque.
After World War II, amid Turkey’s transition towards a more secular republic following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, it was transformed into the Kariye Museum.
In 1958, a team of American art historians undertook the restoration of the church’s original mosaics, making them accessible to the public for display.
