Kalenderhane Mosque

A little known secret off the beaten path, a sacred space that changed from Byzantine Orthodox to Latin Roman church, eventually to a mosque. The footprint in the form of a Greek cross, the structure made of brick and Corinthian columns, Arabic calligraphy sits on a few points on the walls. A rare-find worth a minor detour from Suleymaniyeh Mosque.

KALENDERHANE MOSQUE (HAGIA THEOTOKOS) Kalenderhane Mosque is a building in a form of Eastern Orthodox Church from Eastern Rome era and it stands to the south of the east end of The Valens Aquaduct. It was converted into mosque by The Ottomans in the 18th century. Most probably, the church was originally dedicated to Theotokos Kyriotissa. The building is one of the few existing examples of Eastern Roman churches with a Greek cross arch. According to planning and style it was estimated to be from 9th and 10th century. After the Latin conquest of Constantinople, the building was used as a Roman Catholic church. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the church was given to Kalenderi dervishes by Mehmed the Conqueror. Dervishes used the church as a madrasah. Since then, it has been known as Kalenderhane (Kalender house). It was transformed into a mosque in 18th century by Maktul Besir Aga. The mosque that was damaged in the fire and earthquake was restored in 1854. The minaret of Kalenderhane mosque was destroyed by lightning in 1930, and the mosque was deserted as a result. The structure was long devastated between 1966-1975 and it was restored in 1968 and reopened for worship.

Kalenderhane Mosque was originally built as the Byzantine Orthodox Church dedicated probably to the Mother of God between 1197-1204. When Roman Catholic crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204, they converted it to Roman Catholic Church and granted it to Franciscans. When Byzantines liberated Constantinople from Crusaders in 1261, Church again became Orthodox. After Ottomans conquered Constantinople on May 29, 1453, their Sultan Mehmed II, aka Mehmed the Conqueror (1432-1481), granted this church to dervishes of Kalenderi Order and they transformed it into refectory and ever since that time, it got the name Kalenderhane or Kalenderi Chamber. In the XVIII century, it became the mosque with the same name. Istanbul, 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇹🇷. May 5, 2023.

Sitting in the lee of the Valens Aqueduct, on the site where a Roman bath once stood, is this Byzantine church with a chequered history. Built and rebuilt several times between the 6th and 12th centuries, it was converted into a mosque shortly after the conquest in 1453. The mosque is named after the Kalender brotherhood of dervishes, which used the church as its headquarters for some years after the conquest. The building has the cruciform layout characteristic of Byzantine churches of the period. Some of the decoration remaining from its last incarnation, as the Church of Theotokos Kyriotissa (her Ladyship Mary, Mother of God), also survives in the prayer hall with its marble panelling and in the fragments of fresco in the narthex (entrance hall).

It is an old Byzantine church converted into a mosque centuries ago, with some ruins of an ancient Roman Bath in the garden. It is not a place to see mosaics or fresco's but one can still admire this old Easyern Roman architecture. The building is centrally located at the heart of the ancient city near by Suleymaniye Mosque, with an easy access by subway, bus, taxi or a short walk from the Grand Bazaar. It is open to public with no charge except the worshipping hours....