Fethiye Museum to undergo renovation

The Istanbul Fethiye Museum and Mosque (Pammakaristos), which was built in the beginning of 12th century as a monastery church and later turned into a museum, will be restored by the Istanbul Provincial Administration.

The administration, which has started work at the Istanbul Fethiye Museum and Mosque, plans to finish the projects inside the museum and start the restoration of the building by July 2012.

Located in the Çarşamba district of Istanbul’s Fatih neighborhood, the church was used as a nunnery and later served as the Christian Orthodox patriarchate from 1455 until 1587 following the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. In 1590, the Pammakaristos Church was converted into a mosque with the name “Fethiye” (conqueror), in order to commemorate the conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan by the Ottomans under the reign of Sultan Murad III during the Iranian war.

Under the republic, frescoes and mosaics inside were uncovered in 1955 and it was turned into a museum. The arch built by the Ottomans was replaced by columns from the original. In the 1960s, the mosque was once again opened for worship and is still in use today. The parakkleison, or side corridor section of the building, has remained as a museum.

The northern part of the church is also still being used as a mosque. The walls of the additional church are ornamented with beautiful mosaics from the 14th century. After being repaired between 1938 and 1940, it was converted into a unit of the Hagia Sophia Museum.