Tag: Hagia Sophia

• Wednesday, July 15th 2020 - 08:00 UTC

  Hagia Sophia will be open to visitors outside prayer times, and Christian icons will remain, pledges Turkey

  

  Turkey's Hagia Sophia will open to visitors outside prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious officials said on Tuesday, after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque. The sixth-century Istanbul landmark's museum status - in place for nearly a century - was revoked on Friday, with control handed to the religious authority Diyanet.

• Monday, July 13th 2020 - 09:00 UTC

  World condemnation of Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque

  

  Pope Francis on Sunday joined an international chorus of condemnation of Turkey's decision to convert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia landmark back into a mosque.