Greece hits out at conversion of Hagia Sophia into mosque

On Friday, President Erdogan joined thousands in the first Muslim prayers since the Istanbul landmark was reconverted

Worshippers attend afternoon prayers and visit Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, for the first time after it was once again declared a mosque after 86 years, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 24, 2020. Reuters

Greece hit out on Friday at Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it was a demonstration of "weakness", as churches around the country mourned the controversial move.

"What is happening in (Istanbul) this day is not a show of force, but proof of weakness," Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement.

Nevertheless, the move would not "diminish the radiance of a global heritage monument", he said.

"Especially to us Orthodox Christians, Hagia Sophia today is in our hearts more than ever. It is where our heart beats," Mr Mitsotakis said.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands in the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia since the Istanbul landmark was reconverted from a museum into a mosque.

The Unesco World Heritage site was originally the Byzantine Empire's main cathedral before its first conversion into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited guests at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul on July 24, 2020 to attend the first Friday prayers there since it was converted back to mosque by his government. Turkish Presidential Service / AFP

President Erdogan said afterwards that reverting the 6th-century structure from a museum to a mosque 'was a dream of my youth'. Turkish Presidential Service / AFP

About 500 dignitaries were invited to attend the inaugural Friday prayers at the converted mosque. Turkish Presidential Service / AFP

The Turkish president estimated that about 350,000 worshippers converged on the mosque for the occasion. Turkish Presidential Service / AFP

The Hagia Sophia's famed Byzantine frescoes and mosaics were obscured by curtains during the prayers. Turkish Presidential Service / AFP

A man wearing a t-shirt with the Turkish flag stands as people wait for the beginning of Friday prayers outside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, after it was once again declared a mosque after 86 years, in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters

People wait for the beginning of Friday prayers outside Hagia Sophia. Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due attend the inaugural prayers. EPA

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the move was the 'yearning of our people'. EPA

Dozens of worshippers broke through one police checkpoint to rush toward Hagia Sophia and social distancing practices, in place due to the coronavirus outbreak, were being ignored, Turkish media reported. Reuters

Thousands of men and women, including many who travelled from across Turkey, quickly filled segregated areas outside of Hagia Sophia to be part of the first prayers. AP

Brushing aside international criticism, Erdogan issued a decree restoring the iconic building as a mosque earlier this month, shortly after a Turkish high court ruled that the Hagia Sophia had been illegally made into a museum more than eight decades ago. EPA

The move sparked dismay in Greece, the US and among Christian churches who had called on Mr Erdogan to maintain it as a museum as a nod to Istanbul's multi-religious heritage. EPA

Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 537, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque with the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. EPA

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding leader of the secular Turkish republic converted the structure into a museum in 1934. Reuters

In 1934, modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ordered it be turned into a museum, but a Turkish court said earlier this month it had been registered in property deeds as a mosque, paving the way for the Muslim worship to be reintroduced on Friday.

At midday, churches around Greece rang their bells and flew their flags at half-mast in protest against what the head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, called an "unholy act of defiling" the former cathedral.

"(Today) is a day of mourning for all of... Christianity," Ieronymos said.

However, Constantinos Bogdanos, a deputy from the ruling New Democracy party, told AFP: "It is not a day of mourning, it is a day of revelation of Turkey's growing aggressiveness."

Religious and nationalist groups also staged protests in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Later on Friday, the archbishop held a special service at the Athens Metropolis, during which he chanted the Akathist Hymn in honour of the Virgin Mary.

According to Greek tradition, the same service was held in Hagia Sophia on the eve of the Byzantine Empire capital's fall to the Ottomans.

Hagia Sophia is "a symbol of our faith and a universal monument of culture," Ieronymos said.

On July 10, Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, cancelled the 1934 decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a museum, saying it was registered as a mosque.

Erdogan then ordered the sixth-century monument be reopened for Muslim worship, deeply angering the Christian community and further straining relations with NATO ally Greece.

Erdogan pursued the plan despite appeals from the United States and Russia and condemnation by Pope Francis.