I think you are talking about Aya Irini.... Well, it is well preserved concert hall. It has never converted to a mosque and used as granary in the garden of Topkapi Palace. In 19.th century it has been used as military museum and in year 1993 the restoration works ended and building is still in use as a concert hall. As you see there is a big cross on the top respecting to its past. In Aya Irini there are turkish classical, western classical, religious musics of all religions, modern dance etc. entertainments.

There are tens of Greek Orthodox Churches in Istanbul as you can see from the list below with their addresses that can be used for your religious needs.

We are expecting a mosque, at least one mosque, in Athens for the needs of Muslims. But even for Olympic games a mosque can not be buit in the city. I wonder why? In holy days of Islam, Muslims are praying in the stadiums or empty places. You can make a restoration for Fethiye Mosque of Ottomans in Athens for example. We are hoping that, European Union, the champion of cultural rights, telorance, democracy, human rights, multi-culturalism and every other goods things will also deal with this problem in the future.   The same problem exists for Tessaloniki. Once there were 70 mosques in the city but now it remained only two ruined ones.

We demand only one mosque in Athens and one for Tessaloniki.......

Greek Orthodox  Churches In Istanbul

http://www.istanbulinfolink.com/place_of_worship/churches/christian_4.htm - http://www.istanbulinfolink.com/place_of_worship/churches/ch ristian_4.htm

errr.

Romios, I think you have no   knowledge what happened at both side.

Firstly greeks left county after they sell their properties, infact They left country because they  afraid of. So I dont know what do you mean with compensated.

So I dont know why turkey should pay greeks.

For greece, it is also not much beatiful, infact greece goverment dont even let turkish minority choose their own muftu.

60.000 turkish citizenship abolished by greece,  and turkish minority can even call themself as turkish.

Why don't you open the theological school of Halki.How can the christian minority educate its priests without  a theological school?

Again this is half-true, Patriach can open this school, but he should accept turkish rules, and this rules are same for imam schools.

There is no such pogrom-shameful things happened-that is right and money will be paid if reuested-but I don't think you know the definiton of pogrom-and that so called "pogrom" is not proven-nor wiely accepted, I think the Greeks are the only people that call it pogrom

no such thing happened

Originally posted by erci magnificent tho 2 more minarets would make it even better and maybe a larger crescent on top

Yes, two more HUUUGE minarets to praise allah for giving such a magnificent gift to the people of Islam, and I definately hear you on the crescent.  

When the Greeks were asked to leave Turkey,it was asked from them to become Muslim,did you know this?

Infact noone asked greek to leave, they left istanbul with their own wish, because they didnot want to live with so turks and goverment who have large anti-greek feeling.(for exp the pogrom)

Both church and greece tried to stop them, but they went.

You are talking like turkey exiled them, turkey just  made life difficult for them, they sold their properties, and left the istanbul.(Armenians didnot)

We should take that minaret and shove it up.......

errr this is becoming inderesting.

Originally posted by Zagros Allah be praised we will add some minarets to that ugly heap at St Peters one day soon and beautify it too, when Turkey joins the EU that will happen.

 *shudder*

If it is going to end Greek whining, we should convert not only Ayasofya but also Blue Mosque to a church.

  Aamin. Inshallah, the day will come when the Pope will lead the Friday prayer.

Originally posted by Zagros Shudder!? You shudder?  St Paul's is up for renovation next, you can shudder all u want then

 I'm not even Christian but you touch that damn building and i'll break your neck  

I think, he is confused with the deportations after the Cyprus issue. The Greek, living in Istanbul in 1960s without Turkish passports, were deported (after 1963) because of the tension triggered by the massacred Turks in Cyprus.

St. Peter and St. Paul architectually islamified?

I would do everything in my power........

The price to pay to lose to a foreign culture, your churches are desecrated, your wives and daughters rape and your children to slavery. 

France was attempting a last crusade against the Turks during the renaissance, to chase them from Constantinople, that's why we invaded Italy, but it triggered a series of unexpected events and in the end we allied the people we were set to destroy. How ironic.

Really? Are you certain that non-Catholics may not enter Vatican city?

I read an article somewhere that stated that UNESCO noted falling plaster, deteriorating paint, broken windows, and damaged lead roofing.  It was in an archeology magazine.

haha

latins stolen it.

Go bash them.

latins stolen it.

Go bash them."

Mortaza, on one thread your talking about religous sensativities over a cartoon and how seroius we westerners should take them. On here you laugh at defacing of a once grand church, despite orthodox sensativities.

No, I am not, I am making fun with  AK47, cant you see,his aim  is  only bash Turks, If his aim is church, I just showed who should be bashed.(I think I played  a sensitive area,I am sorry)

I  am not laughing defacing of Aya Sofia, I am laughing stupity of AK47.

Infact I have great respect for Aya Sofia(both as a church and mosque)

Although I am in full agreement over the hypcorisy, this guy has been bashing Turks/Muslims for converting the Hagia Sophia and defeating Byzantium, he is like a Pan Christian nationalist. I think Mortaza was pointing out the irony of the matter as in, "look who stole it! will u go and bash them now? Unlikely!". IMO having a laugh with a guy over his extreme views of what should be done over very very old historical events is not tantamount to making fun of the holy trinity and doing your best to insult Christians. 

R_ak47 says "Where is the large, gold cross that used to be located on the top of the church at now? "

Mortaza wanna say: "Venetians (it whas a horse statue) and the western crusaders stole it, what you gonna do now? Bashing them or find a way to blaim Turks again?"

Ive learnd a lot of things of the Greeks also, if i was the one who should hate Greeks because of a stupid joke (by a guy who doesnt represent all Greek population) i wasnt here for the moment.

You mean why won't there be any greeks left in istanbul? There are only 2,000 greeks left living there, and most are elderly people.

Well, Istanbul(Constantinople) did have a big greek christian population at one time.. Besides, Greece has many churches itself, but many are small and only small amounts of people go to them.

Might as well convert them to mosques actually, many mosques are just remade churches.. Museums are fine too.

If you think my number is ridiculous, do you have one then?

I seem to remember seeing a post on here where you, Zagros, wrote something to the effect of praising Allah and adding more minarets to Hagia Sophia and several Catholic churches.  I believe that is probably as nationalistic as some of my postings.  While some of my ideas may seem extreme, something needs to be done to preserve this building, from what I'm reading it is deteriorating fast.  If returned to Orthodox use, I am sure that the Orthodox community would find the money and resources to preserve it. 

About the cross on the top, I know there was one still there when the city fell in 1453, because I read somewhere about a Turk that climbed to the top to pull it off.  If that was the original one I don't know. 

I have read the posts of other people on these forums.  After seeing so much interest in Byzantium, I thought that more members would support the idea of Hagia Sophia being returned to church status.  Very little of Byzantium survives to this day.  Fortunately, we can still save one of the most impressive remnants of it.

Yes it is true, AE has a sizeable number of Byzantinists, both professional and casual amateurs. But the fact that many of us have an interest in this great civilisation does not necessarily mean we want to go about resurrecting the Byzantine Empire.

The measure proposed is considered a national affront to many who live in the same city as Haghia Sophia. I flippantly commented that it should be turned into a nightclub, flippantly because I believe that Haghia Sophia might as well be turned into a neutral object of public enjoyment rather than something highly divisive that will cause strife and conflict. Terrorist attacks have already occured in Istanbul. If you really care about preserving this legacy of Byzantium, which do you think is less likely to see it attacked by extremists: turning it into a church or leaving it as a secular building for all to enjoy?