Byzantium

Elpidophoros, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, deplored Friday's decision by Turkish authorities to re-convert the Byzantine-era Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Savior in Chora back into a mosque. The Archbishop wrote on Twitter: "After the tragic transgression with...

  "Turkey must finally decide what its broader geopolitical goal will be," said Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission's vice-president and Commissioner for the promotion of the European way of life, during the presentation of the new EU strategy for the...

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America met with President Trump and Vice President Pence late on Thursday to discuss Turkey's recent decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. The previously-unannounced meeting with the President and Vice President at the White House...

  A working group will be set up shortly in order to draw up a specific road map of actions to raise awareness within the international community about Turkey's conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque and to protect the priceless...

According to information published in the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet today, government officials there have sent out invitations to a number of officials to hear the prayers which will be said on the first Friday after the reconversion of...

The mosaics of Hagia Sophia are world-renowned priceless artifacts not only of Greek Orthodoxy but also of Byzantine Civilization and Hellenism. What is lesser known is that the hagiographies inside the Cathedral were restored by an American man before...

  UNESCO, the United Nations body tasked with the identification and preservation of sites with the greatest significance to the world's priceless common heritage, issued a statement on Friday regarding Turkish President Erdogan's official decree turning Hagia Sophia, the greatest...

On May 29, 1453, the Ottoman army, led by Mehmed the Conqueror, seized Constantinople, putting a violent end to one of the longest-lasting empires in history. Along with it, the seizing of the great city also ended the life...

Michael Goodyear* May 29, 1453: the final Ottoman assault on Constantinople succeeds. Ottoman cannon fire had battered the great Theodosian Walls of the city. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos-Dragases, had torn off his imperial regalia and died fighting...

An important distinction for Greece and Cyprus was announced by UNESCO on Wednesday, when the two countries' proposal to the Organization to include the Byzantine Chant on its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was approved. https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/1204810602943827969 In its...