Hagia Sophia

Greek PM: Turkey's Move on Hagia Sophia Severs Ties with the West

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday blasted the decision by Turkey to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque, a move he said “which hurts us as Orthodox Christians but also as citizens of the world.” Mitsotakis made his remarks after...

The American Who Restored Hagia Sophia’s Ancient Mosaics to their Former Glory

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...

Italian, Israeli Groups Protest Hagia Sophia Conversion to Mosque

Italian and Israeli groups protested on Monday the decision by Turkey to turn the Hagia Sophia museum to a mosque. Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Turkish consulate in Milan to express their dismay at the Turkish decision. Led by...

EU Foreign Ministers Condemn Turkey’s Hagia Sophia Decision

The European Union's foreign affairs leader Josep Borrell stated that the EU flatly "condemned the Turkish decision to convert such an emblematic monument as the Hagia Sophia," after Monday's meeting of all 27 foreign ministers of the nations belonging...

Pope Francis "Deeply Pained" as Hagia Sophia Becomes Mosque

Pope Francis said on Sunday that he is “deeply pained” over the decision by Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque. In a very brief, improvised remark, Francis, speaking from his studio window...

Greece Launches International Campaign on Hagia Sophia

Greece will launch an international campaign at the European Union, UNESCO, the United Nations and world religious institutions to highlight the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque, the country's foreign minister said on Saturday. Speaking on Skai television, Nikos...

Turkey's Top Imam Now Wants to Build an Islamic School at Hagia Sophia

Turkey’s top imam, Ali Erbas, said on Saturday that he now hopes to build an Islamic school at Hagia Sophia which was converted to a mosque on Friday. Erbas hailed the decision by President Erdogan to "break the chains" on...

Nobel Prize-Winning Novelist Orhan Pamuk: Turkey No Longer Secular

Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s Nobel prize-winning author, has criticized the Turkish government’s decision to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque. “There are millions of secular Turks like me who are crying against this but their voices are not heard,”...

Joe Biden Urges Erdogan to Reverse Decision on Hagia Sophia

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden expressed his "deep regret" over the decision by Turkey to turn Hagia Sophia to a mosque on Friday. Antony Blinken, Foreign policy adviser to Biden tweeted the statement: "The Hagia Sophia is an architectural marvel...

Hagia Sophia to Open for Muslim Worship on July 24

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that after completing all preparations, Hagia Sophia will open for worship on July 24. In an address to the nation, Erdogan stressed that Hagia Sophia's doors will be open for Turks, foreigners,...