Molla Gürani Mosque, Byzantine church converted into mosque in Vefa, Istanbul.
Molla Gürani Mosque is a Byzantine church building that was converted into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest and stands in the Vefa neighborhood. The structure features a central dome with a cross-in-square floor plan built in brick with traditional Byzantine proportions and layout.
The building was constructed between the late 11th and early 12th centuries under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos as a church. Following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, it was transformed into a mosque and took on its present religious function.
The mosque retains decorative mosaics from its Byzantine period, featuring religious imagery that reflects centuries of spiritual use in this space. These details shape how visitors experience the interior and connect to the building's layered past.
The mosque sits north of the Valens Aqueduct near other historical religious buildings within easy reach in the Fatih district. Visitors will find the location accessible and surrounded by other historical sites worth exploring in the same area.
The exterior features distinctive snake pattern decorative motifs that set it apart architecturally from typical religious buildings of its time. Underground cisterns beneath the structure hint at its possible origins as a monastery before becoming a church.
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