Hagia Sophia, Church building in Trabzon, Turkey.
The Hagia Sophia is a former church in Trabzon on the Turkish Black Sea coast, now serving as a mosque. The complex shows a central dome, four porches, and a freestanding bell tower shaped by Byzantine building traditions.
Manuel I of Trebizond had the building erected as an orthodox church between 1238 and 1263. After the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1461, it was converted into a mosque.
The building served for centuries as a church before later becoming a museum and finally a mosque. Visitors today see prayer niches and carpets alongside the older Christian wall paintings, which exist side by side.
The building lies about two miles west of the medieval town center and is now an active house of worship. Visitors should observe usual mosque dress codes and come outside prayer times.
The freestanding bell tower reaches a height of about 130 feet (40 meters) and houses a small chapel on the second floor. The wall paintings inside date from the 13th century and show scenes from the New Testament in the Palaiologan Renaissance style.
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