Historical St Nicholas Cathedral in Cyprus turned into a mosque under Turkish Occupation

[TomSea]

Historical St Nicholas Cathedral in Cyprus turned into a mosque under Turkish Occupation


By Uzay Bulut

A devastating fire ravaged France’s Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this month, prompting worldwide heartbreak, commitments of rebuilding funds, and a vow to restore the structure from the French president. Meanwhile, the Notre Dame of Cyprus, St. Nicholas Cathedral, is used as a mosque in the northern part of the country, which has been illegally occupied by Turkey for nearly 50 years.

St. Nicholas, the most majestic structure in Famagusta, was constructed between 1298 and 1312 in the Gothic style. Kings of the House of Lusignan went to this church to be ceremonially crowned Kings of Jerusalem after they had been crowned as Kings of Cyprus in the St. Sophia Cathedral (now Selimiye Mosque) in Nicosia.

However, the Cathedral was transformed into a mosque with the addition of a mihrab and a minaret and renamed the “Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque” in 1954, after the commander of the 1570 Ottoman attack against Cyprus.

Read more at: https://greekcitytimes.com/2019/04/29/historical-st-nicholas-cathedral-in-cyprus-turned-into-a-mosque-under-turkish-occupation/?amp

Moving to history but an interesting story.

[Fishrrman]

100 years from now, there will be many more...