The Chora Orthodox Church in Istanbul was reopened and turned into a mosque
The Greek Foreign Ministry condemned the official reopening as a mosque on Sunday of the Chora Museum, a former Greek Orthodox religious site in Istanbul – a move that echoed the controversial reopening of the landmark Hagia Sophia as a mosque four years ago.
“The Turkish authorities’ decision to begin the operation of the Monastery of Chora as a Muslim mosque constitutes a provocation for the international community as it distorts and affects its character as a UNESCO World Heritage Site belonging to humanity,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Built in the 4th century as the Chora Church, the building was converted into a mosque around 1511 following the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire, becoming a symbol of the empire’s might. In 1945, it was transformed into a museum by the Turkish government.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then issued a decree in August 2020 to convert it into a mosque again. Under the same decree, Erdogan also ordered the opening of the Hagia Sophia Museum as a mosque.
