Nearly 4 years after Hagia Sophia was transformed right into a mosque, one other iconic Byzantine temple in Constantinople will start functioning as a mosque. That is the well-known Hora Monastery, which has been a museum for seventy-nine years.
As reported by the pro-government Yeni Şafak newspaper, Hora Monastery is anticipated to open its doorways as a mosque for Friday prayers on February 23. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had made the choice for this again in 2020 together with the Hagia Sophia resolution, however plans have been “frozen” to permit some restoration work to be carried out.
The church in query, which is a very powerful temple in Istanbul after Hagia Sophia, was was a mosque by the Ottomans, after which, by order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, it grew to become a museum.
In 2019, nevertheless, a call was issued by the Turkish Supreme Court docket to transform it right into a mosque. In 2020, it was determined that the jurisdiction of the monument would go to the Directorate of Non secular Affairs, in Turkish Diyanet.
In accordance with Turkish media, “the historic mosque, furnished with custom-made purple carpets, is anticipated to open for worship on Friday, February 23.” It additionally reported that “the mosaics and frescoes have been preserved throughout the restoration and shall be accessible to guests.”
Hora Monastery is situated within the northwestern a part of the historic heart of Istanbul.
It owes its identify to its location – outdoors the fortress partitions of the imp. Constantine the Nice. “Horion” or “Hora” the Byzantines referred to as the land outdoors the fortress partitions. When imp. Theodosius II constructed the brand new partitions of Constantinople, the monastery retained the standard identify “in Hora”, though it was now not outdoors the partitions. The monastery is understood for its priceless mosaics – among the many most well-known is the mosaic with one of many founders of the temple, Theodore Metochite, presenting the brand new temple to Christ. The church had two vestibules which have been embellished with mosaics and frescoes. The mosaics of the exonarthex (outer porch) are six semicircles depicting Christ therapeutic varied illnesses. Quite a few icons additionally beautify the domes and partitions. The icons are among the many most lovely Byzantine icons. The colours are vibrant, the proportions of the limbs are harmonious, and the expressions of the faces are pure.
The early historical past of the monastery isn’t identified with certainty. Custom locations its basis within the sixth century by St. Theodore, and additionally it is attributed to Crispus, son-in-law of the imp. Phocas (seventh century). At present it’s confirmed that the church was constructed between 1077-1081, throughout the time of Imp. Alexius I Comnenus, on the positioning of older buildings from the sixth and ninth centuries. It suffered severe harm, most likely because of an earthquake, and was repaired in 1120 by Isaac Comnenus. Theodore Metochites, Byzantine statesman, theologian, patron of the humanities, contributed to its renovation (1316-1321) and was answerable for the addition of the exonarthex, the southern chapel and the ornament of the temple, which incorporates outstanding mosaics and frescoes which have survived to at the present time. As well as, he bequeathed appreciable property to the monastery, on the identical time constructing a hospital and donating to it his outstanding assortment of books, which later attracted well-known students to this heart. The monastery was transformed right into a mosque by order of the Grand Vizier of Sultan Bayazid II (1481-1512) and have become identified in Turkish because the Kahriye Mosque. A major a part of the temple’s ornament was destroyed. In 1948, a restoration program was carried out, and from 1958 the monument capabilities as a museum.