Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially opened the former Byzantine church “Christ the Savior in Hora“ (Karie Mosque) as a Muslim house of worship, the Associated Press reported.
The decision to return the status of a mosque to the temple was made in 2020, shortly after the famous “Saint Sophia“ in Istanbul was turned from a museum into a mosque, reports BTA. Despite the plans to open the church “People“ in October 2020, the decision to continue the restoration activities on it was suddenly stopped with the argument that “the preparation for its transformation into a mosque is not finished”, writes the portal “Greek Reporter”. According to information from the Turkish newspaper “Turkiye“ the restoration works have been completed.
The church “People“ was originally built in the 4th century, and today's building dates mainly from the 11th - 12th centuries. It is mainly known for its mosaics and wall paintings from the 14th century.
The temple was converted into a mosque at the beginning of the 16th century, and in 1945 it was declared a museum.
Erdogan inaugurated the restored building now as a mosque via teleconference from Ankara.
The decisions on returning the status of mosques to “Saint Sophia” and of “People”, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites, have been criticized by Greece and a number of other countries. According to many, these actions of the Turkish government are an attempt to consolidate the support of the conservative and religious circles in Turkey for the ruling party in the conditions of economic difficulties.
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