Changes After Construction
After the conquest of Istanbul in 1455, it began to be used as a patriarchate.
In 1591, during the reign of Sultan Murad III, it was converted into a mosque and named "Fethiye" (en: "of the conquest").
The apse section was demolished. A mihrab appropriate to the qibla direction, a minaret and a madrasah were added.
It was repaired by Sultan Abdulmejid in 1845.
In 1938-1940, serious restoration was carried out by cleaning the exterior plasters.
It was converted into a museum during the Republican period; in 1955 the American Byzantine Institute uncovered the mosaics.
It was reopened as a mosque in the 1960s.
Featured Highlights
Formerly known as Theotokos Pamakaristos Monastery Church.
After the conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan in the Iran-Ottoman Wars during the reign of Sultan Murad III, it was converted into a mosque as a memory of the conquest.
It has walls made of a mixture of stone and brick. The main structure with 5 compartments is surrounded by vaulted corridors on three sides and covered with a large dome with a high drum illuminated by 12 windows.
The interior mosaics contain Greek inscriptions and original features of Byzantine art. The mosaics and frescoes were discovered during the restoration of mosques and museums.
In the courtyard is the Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha Madrasa, and across to it is the Ali Mektep.
