The following is in response to the piece by Holger A. Klein in the Turkish conversion of the Savior Church of Chora. As a Greek Orthodox author of three books and various articles I can only say to academics such as Mr. Klein that present criticisms of the Turkish government are too little, too late. The Turkish government in 2013 converted the Church of Hagia Sophia in Trebizond into a Mosque. No one took any notice and no one protested the outrage.
The Turkish authorities proceeded to convert at least two more Church-Museums named Hagia Sophia in Nicea (Iznik) and Adrianople (Edirne) without any protests.As an Orthodox Greek, I made phone calls to the UNESCO offices in New York and sent them emails bringing to their attention the Turkish conversion of the above mentioned Church-Museums and their ultimate goal for the conversion of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. During the summer of 2014 I visited a UNESCO office in Athens and in March 2015 I visited the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to raise attention to the Turkish plans for the conversion of Hagia Sophia. I was given repeated assurances that UNESCO authorities had been in touch with Turkish officials and had been “assured” by them that Hagia Sophia would be left unmolested.
One year later during the spring of 2016 Hagia Sophia of Constantinople was used for Muslim prayers. No protests from UNESCO, and certainly no protests from the academic community. Perhaps Mr. Klein can tell me where his voice was over the past seven years as the movement to convert Hagia Sophia was gaining steam? Where were the voices and protests from the academic community? There is no shortage of protests now that the evil deeds have been carried out but where were the protests and the outrages when they would have made a difference?
There are certain inaccuracies in the article by Mr. Klein. Mr. Klein refers to Hagia Sophia as a Mosque. Let us understand that Hagia Sophia of Constantinople and other Hagia Sophia Churches, along with the Church of the Savior at Chora are CHURCHES, not Mosques. Thomas Wittemore of the Byzantine Institute could have referred to them as Mosques because they were in use as such during the period of time he expressed concern about them. However, let it not be forgotten the Christian temples that are falling victim to the predatory government of Turkey are Churches, not Mosques. Mosques do not have images of the incarnate God and savior Jesus Christ, the most Holy Theotokos andMother of God, and the Holy Apostles and fathers of the Church within them.
Certainly, Christians recognize the importance of these Churches to secular history but the sacred and divine origins of these great Christian temples must not be dismissed or disrespected. Without the Holy Gospel there would be no Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia and the Church of Chora can never be Mosques or Museums. Their roots lie with the divinity of the God-Man Jesus Christ who became incarnate in the flesh. Hagia Sophia is a Church and it is highly offensive that the article by Mr. Klein minimized the Christian origins of the Byzantine Churches mentioned in his commentary.
Criticism of the Turkish government even at this late date is welcome. However, the academic community and UNESCO should recognize they made mistakes and waited too long to protest the Turkish aggression against Hagia Sophia.They should also make sure to be historically, culturally, and theologically accurate when discussing these Church-Museums as they were founded as Christian Cathedrals and Churches. Referring to them as Mosques in the context in which Mr. Klein writes does a disservice to Orthodox Christians who are the real guardians of Hagia Sophia and inadvertently strengthens the case of the Turkish government.
The case against the Erdogan government’s conversion of these Byzantine Churches lies not with the legacy of Mustafa Kemal (the so called “Ataturk) but with those of the Byzantine Emperors of Constantinople such as Saint Justinian who presided over the construction of these miraculous temples for the purpose of worshipping the Triune God. Saint Justinian the Great who presided over the construction of Hagia Sophia is not even mentioned in the article by Mr.Klein while the so called “Ataturk” who was the architect of the genocide of Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Christians is given undue prominence.
Certainly, the appeal to stop the conversion of Church-Museums into Mosques can be made on the basis of cultural and historical sensitivities, but the theological and spiritual roots of these Churches are the greatest reasons why the Turkish government’s actions should be condemned.
Theodore G. Karakostas
Link to the article being responded to
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/comment/istanbul-s-exceptional-cultural-heritage-must-not-be-lost
One reply on “Letter to the Art Newspaper”
Great letter. The US Academic Community and NGO’s which are active at the drop of a hat for BLM protests or ANTIFA has been very late to the issue of minority Christian rights in nations like Turkey. Great that they’re finally weighing in, but it’s come far too late.