Source: Orthodox Observer Archdiocese petitions United Nations over its conversion of UNESCO World Heritage Sites into Mosques NEW YORK, September 29, 2020 – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced today that it is petitioning the United Nations Experts to hold the Republic of Turkey accountable for its deliberate policies to erase the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians. This petition rebukes the recent unilateral decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reconvert United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”) World Heritage Sites, Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”), into a mosque. Commenting on the petition, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said: “Turkey’s reconversion…
Browsing: Haghia Sophia
Source: The New York Times Changing the secular space back into a religious one is a risk for the World Heritage Site. By The Editorial Board The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom. On Friday, after 86 years as a museum, the great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will once again echo with Muslim prayers. To Turkish Islamists, the conversion marks the fulfillment of a long-held dream of restoring a symbol of Ottoman grandeur. For many others around the world, the change is a…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, notes with sorrow and dismay new reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may convert the Hagia Sophia to a mosque. Hagia Sofia in Istanbul is known throughout the world as the Great Church of Christ. Built in the sixth century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was for nearly a thousand years the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the center of the Orthodox Faith, and the world’s most magnificent cathedral. Following the Muslim conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted to…