A decision by Turkey’s Supreme Administrative Court may open the way to convert the symbol of Greek Orthodoxy, the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This is a permanent demand by local nationalists, supported also by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The court has ruled that the historic Monastery of Chora in Istanbul can operate as a mosque and Turkish arch-nationalist newspaper cheered that this make a “judicial precedence” for Hagia Sophia.
The Chora Monastery, which is known for its well preserved mosaics and frescoes, was converted into a mosque after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. In August 1945 a cabinet decision turned into a museum.
The interior of the Chora Church is covered with some of the oldest and finest surviving Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. They were uncovered and restored after the building was secularized and turned into a museum.The original church was built in the early 4th century.
The Association for the Service of Historical Monuments and the Environment, with its ongoing appeals to Turkish justice, called for the Council of Ministers’ decision to be annulled.
The 10th Chamber of the Supreme Court rejected the Union’s appeal in March 2014, stating that the 1945 Cabinet decision was not in breach of law as the Monastery of Istanbul is an important historical monument in Istanbul and is included on the list of the Historic Areas of Istanbul of UNESCO World Heritage.
However, the Association did not give up and continued to appeal to Justice. The Administrative Court then upheld the request for the correction of the judgment and, having reversed the earlier ruling, re-examined the appeal.
This time, the Administrative Court decided by six votes to five to overturn the decision of the 10th Chamber of the Supreme Court and ruled that the decision of the Council of Ministers was contrary to the laws and as a benevolent institution owned by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation may not be used for any purpose other than the use specified for charitable institutions.
The decision even mentions that the Monastery of Chora “being a charitable institution under the protection of the state does not mean that the state can decide at any time and as it wishes” and that it “must ensure that it is used for the purpose set by a charitable organization.”
According to Turkish daily Yeni Safak the Supreme Court decision creates a “judicial precedence also for Hagia Sophia.
“After 74 years the Chora monastery will be able to reopen for Muslim prayers again,” cheers the daily.
For the first time in 2016, Erdogan allowed a muezzin to call for the Ramadan prayers from Hagia Sophia and continued doing so ever since.
PS It is not so easy to alternate the purpose of World Heritage Monuments. Not that Turkey would care about….
