Converted Churches and Mosques

OK, I thought all religious places should quaify. If Jewish synagogues could be discussed.

Edited by Vivek Sharma - 04-Nov-2006 at 06:35

Byzantine Church that is currently a museum in
Trabzon Turkey.


Agia Sophia




Built in the year 1250 under the guidance of Emperor Manuel the 1st (1238-1263).

In the centre of the floor of the church there is an exceptional paved mosaic with many beautiful multicoloured stones. The author Texier visited
Trapezounta in 1836 and in his book "Byzantine Architecture" London 1864 he says....

"The beautiful mosaic floor at the centre of the church can be considered one of the most extraordinary examples of the Byzantine marble mosaics which has survived until the present, perhaps the finest now in existence."

The historian Finley (1850) described the mosaic floor fairly fully in his
manuscript journal. He says...

"The pavement under the dome is richly worked in porphyry serpentine
coloured and gilt glass and most firmly cemented. This is true Byzantine style though better executed than usual"


The church of Ayasofya, now used as a museum, was built during the reign of Manuel Comnenos I, king of the Empire of Trabzon (1238-1263). The bell tower to the west of the church was dated to 1427 by G. Finlay, a British traveller and scholar. The chapel with three apses, the remains of which are to the north of the church, must belong to an earlier period.

The church was turned into a mosque and became a charitable foundation when the Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror captured Trabzon. For centuries the church of Ayasofya has attention of travellers and scholars visiting the city. Among those who recognized the importance of the building were Evliya �elebi (1648) famous for his account of Trabzon, Pitton de Tournefort (1701), Hamilton (1836), Texier (1864), Şakir Şevket of Trabzon (1878) and Lynch (1893).
http://www.trabzonkulturturizm.gov.tr/ingmonasteries.asp


Had it not been turned into a mosque, I hate to think what it's outcome would've been!!!



The Monastery of Mount Mela is now a museum.















Plaque states;

The Monastery, founded in honour of the Virgin Mary, took the name of "Sumela" which derives from "Melas", meaning black. Although, it is thought that it has taken this name from the mountains, the Karadaglar (Black Mountains), on which it stands, it could also associated with the black colour of the icon of the Virgin Mary.

According to tradition, the Monastery was founded by two priests called Barnabas and Sophronius who came from Athens during the reign of the Emperor Theodousius I (AD 375-395). Then, in the 6th century, it was restored by the General Belisarius at the behest the Emperor Justinian who wanted it to be enlarged and restored.

The Monastery reached its final, present form in the 13th century . It gained importance during the reign of Alexios III (1349-1390) of the Comnenian Empire of Trabzon, which had been established in 1204. Its income was assured from imperial funds. During the time of Manuel III, son of Alexios III, and the reign of later princes, Sumela gained further wealth from new imperial grants.

Like most other monasteries, the rights of the Sumela Monastery were preserved by the Ottoman Sultans and some special priveleges were given after Eastern Black Sea Coast came under domination of the Turks.

During the 18th century the many parts of MOnastery were restored and the walls were decorated with frescoes. In the 19th centu, the Monastery took on an impressive appearance which addition of larger buildings. This was the Monastery's heyday and it attracted many foreign travellers who mentioned it in their writings.

The Monastery was seized by the Russians during the occupation of Trabzon between 1916-1918, and then in 1923 it was completely abandoned.


Wonder what our Russian friends have to say about this ??

Originally posted by Vivek Sharma What you have found on Wiki is right, but it doesn't tell about the original structure on which it was built, which was a Hindu temple belonging to a king from Rajasthan.

I fully agree with you. The Muslims did the same thing when they were in Granada and Constantinople. They simply rebadge existing native infrastructure as being Arabic or Muslim and then use the dates of the building's original construction to say they've been there since then.

People have to remember that Arabs never ever constructed buildings of their own since they're were nomadic desert peoples.

So all buildings which are claimed by Arabs as being Arabic or Islamic are infact native buildings being rebadged as Arabic or Islamic.

oh really ? what about baghdad of the middle ages? it was the basis of the arab empire. bagdad had the best palaces and best mosques anywhere. Most of the greek and romans works of the past was preserved and saved in the librararies of Bagdhad.

It's like Arabs claiming they built the pyramids just because they are now found in Egypt.

Not only are Arabs claiming native Spanish cities as their own Arabs are also claiming Persian, Mesopotamian, Greek and Egyptian cities as their own.

All lies.



    

Edited by Worldhistory - 04-Nov-2006 at 23:28

Originally posted by malizai_ Originally posted by Worldhistory But Baghdad was constructed by Mesopotamians way before any Arab ever set foot in that region. Once again, you're just rebadging previous civilizations as either Arabic or Islamic when they were constructed by neither. � No, baghdad was not constructed by the mesopotamians but by baghdadians.

Fair enough, I just know the city existed way before any arab set foot in it.

Originally posted by Worldhistory Originally posted by malizai_ Originally posted by Worldhistory But Baghdad was constructed by Mesopotamians way before any Arab ever set foot in that region. Once again, you're just rebadging previous civilizations as either Arabic or Islamic when they were constructed by neither.   No, baghdad was not constructed by the mesopotamians but by baghdadians. Fair enough, I just know the city existed way before any arab set foot in it.

why would muslims claim pyaramids as their own? your argument is so stupid, muslim architecture that streches from spain to india is different from these places.

Edited by mard - 05-Nov-2006 at 00:02