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Monday, 4 March 2013

Turkey: Famous fifth-century monastery to be turned into a mosque

More indication of the rapid Islamization of Turkey. It is noteworthy also that none of the world's "human rights" organizations seem concerned about this, or the worsening plight of the remaining tiny Christian minority in Turkey, at all. "Studios Monastery Will Be Turned Into a Mosque," from Mystagogy, March 2 (thanks to Filip):
January 29, 2013 Sedmitsa A correspondent of the Greek church news agency "Amen" in Istanbul, reported that the Studios Monastery, famous in the history of Orthodoxy, will be transferred from Turkey's Ministry of Culture to the General Directorate of Endowments, and will be transformed from a branch of the "Hagia Sophia" Museum into an active Mosque.
Studios Monastery, dedicated to John the Baptist, was founded in Constantinople in the middle of the fifth century by [Senator] Studios, the Roman patrician.
The monastery played a prominent role in the history of Byzantine culture and spirituality. In the second half of the seventh century to the first half of the eighth century, the monastery became a stronghold of the Iconodules and a center of the struggle against the Iconoclast heretics.
Studios Monastery was turned into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1486. The monastery was severely damaged by fire in 1782, was renovated in 1820, but again was severely damaged during the earthquake of 1894. In 1908, the roof of the cathedral collapsed. To date, the building has not been renovated and remains in a ruinous condition.

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