The Byzantine church of San Salvatore in Chora – Web
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed the conversion of the Byzantine church of St. Savior in Chora into a mosque, which for the last 79 years has been one of the symbolic museums of the city of Istanbul. Erdogan’s confirmation came on the sidelines of a visit to Turkey by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who took the opportunity to express Athens’ disappointment for what represents a case very similar to what happened inhe conversion of Hagia Sophia in 2020. Today, as then, there has been no shortage of criticism from the US State Department. Four years ago Greece protested in a sensational manner, also asking UNESCO to intervene, but Erdogan continued resolutely. This time relations between Ankara and Athens have improved and Mitsotakis’ disappointment has not undermined the will of the Turkish government. The site, reopened after a long restoration, is now officially the Kariye Mosquea name acquired during the years of the Ottoman Empire.
Originally built as a church, then converted to a mosque, later a museum and now a mosque again, it followed the same fate as the more famous and larger Hagia Sophia. Both constitute two of the most popular destinations for tourists, attracted by Byzantine mosaics and frescoes of rare beauty, but above all by monuments that preserve the testimony of the different phases that characterized the thousand-year history of what was Byzantium, then Constantinople and today Istanbul . The reopening placed simple tourists and visitors from Orthodox Christian countries side by side, all attracted by the mosaics and frescoes left uncovered in the rooms adjacent to the area which is now reserved for Islamic worship. The central nave is now in fact the place where Muslims gather, attracted by the sound of the muezzin. As for Hagia Sophia, the debate was harsh and, as mentioned, it also inconvenienced the US Department of State, now as it did then. For tourists of Christian faith, but also for several Western countries, seeing a church used as a mosque is a decision that is considered a step backwards compared to secular and secular Turkey which 79 years ago declared these places museums. For many Turks, not just Erdogan’s supporters, the conversion into a mosque represents the affirmation of sovereignty and national pride, the vindication of the Ottoman conquest. For other Turks, however, it is yet another slap from Erdogan to the directions given to the country by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the unforgettable founder of the Republic. Now the Kariye mosque, like Hagia Sophia, is a hybrid between museum and mosque, a place where tourists and practicing Muslims meet, but on whose presumed flaunted inclusiveness Erdogan’s political line hangs.
At the moment there are only three mosaics that are covered during prayers, while the side naves, rich in frescoes and mosaics, do not appear to have been affected by the conversion and can also be visited by women without covered heads and tourists who must not leave their shoes outside . A step forward compared to Hagia Sophia, where some mosaics are covered or only partially visible and the marble floor ruined by a green carpet. The origin of this symbolic place of worship in Istanbul dates back to the fourth century. Historians agree that San Babila and San Teodoro were among the founders of the monastery or at least spent some years there. The monastery was severely damaged during the 1204 sack of Istanbul by the Crusaders. The church as it stands today was built in 1300 and for centuries it was a refuge for monks who tried to isolate themselves from the liveliness of political events and city life. With the Ottoman conquest, the church of San Salvatore in Chora had the misfortune of being located a few hundred meters from the gate of Adrianople, the point where the Byzantine walls gave way to the advance of Sultan Fatih’s troops. The result was renewed looting, the destruction of statues and artifacts, and the closure of the facility for the following 58 years. In 1509 it was converted to a mosque, a status that would last until 1945, when the Turkish government decided to convert it into a museum. Just 5 years earlier the same government had authorized the American Institute of Byzantine Studies to carry out a restoration which would not fail to raise heated controversy due to the removal of references to Islam and verses from the Koran, added in the years in which the structure had served as mosque. Controversies have dragged on to this day, both for Hagia Sophia and for Chora, symbolic places that bear the signs of the events that have marked the history of Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul.
