The Kariye Mosque opened in Istanbul instead of a museum

The Kariye Mosque, formerly known as the Byzantine Church of Christ the Savior in the Fields from the ensemble of the monastery of Hora, has opened for believers and tourists in Istanbul, RIA Novosti reports.

The Christian church was built in the VI century. In 1511, after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, it became a mosque, and from 1948 to 2020 it worked as a museum. The building is considered a unique architectural monument and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site primarily due to the beautifully preserved original frescoes depicting the most important scenes from the Bible. About 4 years ago, the museum was closed for restoration, and opened in a new capacity.

Now visiting the Kariye Mosque is free for everyone, however, if we recall the history of another early Christian monument – Hagia Sophia, which was also recently turned from a museum into a mosque, and then closed for free visits by tourists, we can assume that the former church of the monastery of Hora awaits the same fate. Recall that tourists can now visit Hagia Sophia only with rather expensive tickets, while non-Muslims are not allowed into the main space of the mosque, giving them access only to the galleries of the building.

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