Ibrahim Han Mosque | |
---|---|
Ibrahim Han Mosque in the fortezza | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
District | Rethymno |
Province | Crete |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Exhibition center |
Location | |
Location | Rethymno, Greece |
Geographic coordinates | 35°22′21″N 24°28′16″E / 35.37250°N 24.47111°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Completed | 1583-5 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | 1 |
Dome dia. (outer) | 11 m. |
Minaret(s) | 1 (collapsed) |
Materials | Stone, brick |
The Ibrahim Han Mosque ( Greek: Τζαμί του Ιμπραήμ Χαν, from Turkish: İbrahim Han Camii), also known as the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque ( Greek: Τζαμί του Σουλτάνου Ιμπραήμ), is a historical Ottoman mosque in the town of Rethymno, on the island of Crete, in southern Greece. Situated inside the old fortezza of Rethymno, the mosque was originally built as a church by the Venetians but converted into a mosque following the island's conquest at the hands of the Ottomans. Today it functions as an exhibition center.
It was built on the site of the Venetian Cathedral, a church built around 1583-85 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas. [1] The Venetians transferred the cathedral seat to the fortezza after the previous church was completely destroyed [2] during the 1571 invasion. [3] In 1585, the successor bishop Carrara refused to hold masses in the church, claiming that it was not adequately equipped and the space was too narrow. [3]
Very shortly after the town of Rethymno was conquered by the Ottomans, they demolished the church and built the mosque, dedicated to Sultan Ibrahim I in 1648, with a large, imposing dome. [1] [4] The complaed became property of the city of Rethymno in 1971; it was restored between 2002 and 2004 by the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, and now it is used as an exhibition center. [5]
The mosque's dome is 11 metres in diameter, and rests on eight arches. [3] [1] Today, the spherical triangles formed in the corners from the arches on its four walls can still be seen, and so does the arch above the entrance. [2] Furthermore, the mihrab with its elaborate relief designs and the base of the demolished minaret inside the building are also still visible. [2] The minaret, which once stood on the northwestern corner of the church/mosque, [3] collapsed at the beginning of the twentieth century, and was never rebuilt. [6]
Ibrahim Han Mosque | |
---|---|
Ibrahim Han Mosque in the fortezza | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
District | Rethymno |
Province | Crete |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Exhibition center |
Location | |
Location | Rethymno, Greece |
Geographic coordinates | 35°22′21″N 24°28′16″E / 35.37250°N 24.47111°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Completed | 1583-5 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | 1 |
Dome dia. (outer) | 11 m. |
Minaret(s) | 1 (collapsed) |
Materials | Stone, brick |
The Ibrahim Han Mosque ( Greek: Τζαμί του Ιμπραήμ Χαν, from Turkish: İbrahim Han Camii), also known as the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque ( Greek: Τζαμί του Σουλτάνου Ιμπραήμ), is a historical Ottoman mosque in the town of Rethymno, on the island of Crete, in southern Greece. Situated inside the old fortezza of Rethymno, the mosque was originally built as a church by the Venetians but converted into a mosque following the island's conquest at the hands of the Ottomans. Today it functions as an exhibition center.
It was built on the site of the Venetian Cathedral, a church built around 1583-85 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas. [1] The Venetians transferred the cathedral seat to the fortezza after the previous church was completely destroyed [2] during the 1571 invasion. [3] In 1585, the successor bishop Carrara refused to hold masses in the church, claiming that it was not adequately equipped and the space was too narrow. [3]
Very shortly after the town of Rethymno was conquered by the Ottomans, they demolished the church and built the mosque, dedicated to Sultan Ibrahim I in 1648, with a large, imposing dome. [1] [4] The complaed became property of the city of Rethymno in 1971; it was restored between 2002 and 2004 by the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, and now it is used as an exhibition center. [5]
The mosque's dome is 11 metres in diameter, and rests on eight arches. [3] [1] Today, the spherical triangles formed in the corners from the arches on its four walls can still be seen, and so does the arch above the entrance. [2] Furthermore, the mihrab with its elaborate relief designs and the base of the demolished minaret inside the building are also still visible. [2] The minaret, which once stood on the northwestern corner of the church/mosque, [3] collapsed at the beginning of the twentieth century, and was never rebuilt. [6]