The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation expects that the resumption of Muslim services at the Chora Church (Kariye Museum) in Istanbul will not affect its status as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. This was reported on Tuesday in the comments of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
"We expect that the use of Kairye will fully comply with the status of a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, and any actions in relation to this unique monument will not prevent free access to it for everyone," a statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.
The Ministry noted that it was also important for the Turkish side to take appropriate measures to ensure the complete safety of the object itself, as well as many valuable mosaics and frescoes of the interior decoration.
Turkey granted the status of a mosque the Kariye Museum in Istanbul on August 21. The Church of the Holy Saviour in the Fields, which is part of this monastery, is open for Muslim worship.
The Hora monastery was built in 534 and is one of the oldest historical monuments in Istanbul, known for its unique frescoes and mosaics from the Byzantine period. The building was converted into a mosque, as well as the Hagia Sophia, after the conquest of Constantinople-the capital of the Byzantine Empire-by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The Chora monastery was used as a mosque for 434 years and was converted into the Kariye Museum in 1945. The State Council of Turkey decided to convert it into a mosque in 2019, considering that the decision of the authorities in 1945 was illegal. This decision has not yet been implemented.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS