The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii) is a mosque in Tirilye (Zeytinbağı), Bursa Province, Turkey. The structure was originally constructed in the 8th or 9th as a Byzantine church and was later converted to a Muslim place of worship during the 16th century.[1] It again served as a Greek Orthodox church between 1920 and 1922 until it was re-converted to a mosque in 1923.[1]
Fatih Mosque | |
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Fatih Camii | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
Location | |
Location | Tirilye, Bursa, Turkey |
Turkey | |
Geographic coordinates | 40°23′35″N 28°47′48″E / 40.393078°N 28.796799°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Groundbreaking | 720 |
Completed | 730 |
The original structure may have been erected between 720 and 730 (or possibly in the early 9th century, according to Robert Ousterhout[2]) and was most likely known as either the Church of Christ and Saint Stephen the Confessor - often referred to simply as the Church of Saint Stephen at Trigleia - or the Church of Saint Theodore.[3][4] There is some evidence that the site church was associated with a monastery, which Cyril Mango and Ihor Ševčenko identify as the Trigleia Monastery (Greek: Moni Trigleias), though others have suggested instead that it was affiliated with the Chinolakkos Monastery (Moni tou Chinolakkou).[4]
Following the Ottoman conquest of Anatolia, the Byzantine church was converted to a mosque and re-named Fatih Camii (Turkish: "Mosque of the Conqueror").[1] Later during the Greek Summer Offensive of 1920, Bursa was briefly occupied by Greek forces and the mosque was briefly re-dedicated as an Orthodox church.[5] In 1923, the site was once again converted to a mosque.[1]
The structure is thought to be the oldest surviving Byzantine building in the region, and has protected status. It also constitutes one of the oldest known examples of a Byzantine cross-in-square church and in its early years the building incorporated a south chapel that was later destroyed.[6][2] The main entrance to the mosque is through a portico covered with a wooden roof which is standing on four columns that have ornamented metal headings. The structure's central dome, which sits upon a cylindrical tholobate pierced with eight windows, rises 19 metres (62 ft.) high and is approximately 4.5 metres (14.75 ft.) wide .[7][6] Although the church was constructed sometime around the 8th century, it incorporated earlier elements such as 6th century sculptures, some of which may have been re-carved at a later date.[2] Some scholars have speculated that the church was also decorated with paintings and icons, though these no longer survive.[1]
After the site's conversion to a mosque, a tall tiled mihrab covered with a half-dome was set into the building's central apse where the former church's bema (altar) once stood.[1] A minaret was also added to the structure, though this was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1855 and has subsequently been rebuilt.[1]