Liberation Mosque | |
---|---|
Kurtuluş Camii | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam, originally Christianity |
Location | |
Location | Şahinbey, Gaziantep Province, Turkey |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Sarkis Balyan |
Type | mosque |
Date established | 1986 (as mosque) |
Groundbreaking | 1892 |
Completed | 1893 |
Liberation Mosque ( Turkish: Kurtuluş Camii), formerly the St. Mary's Cathedral or Holy Mother of God Church ( Armenian: Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի, romanized: Surp Asdvazdadzin Egeghetsʿi), is located in the Tepebaşı district of Şahinbey, Gaziantep in Turkey. [1] [2] Initially built as an Armenian Apostolic church, it was converted into a stable after the Armenian genocide; and later, into a jail. [2] Sarkis Balyan—the Ottoman-Armenian architect serving Sultan Abdul Hamid II—designed the church. The building was constructed between 1892 and 1893, undertaken by the stonemason Sarkis Taşçıyan. [1] [3] The church was part of a complex which also contained a school and the administrative buildings of the dioceses of the kaza of Antep. [4]
In 1915, almost all of the Gaziantep Armenians were deported to the Syrian desert during the genocide. [5] The church was sealed on 22 August 1915; and its sacramentals and furnishings were put in a large stable, then they were bought and sold at an auction. [1] For over three years the cathedral was used by government for military purposes. [1] Next, it was turned into a prison in the early 1920s; and served as such until the 1970s. [1] [6]
The building was converted into a mosque in 1986. [2] The top half of the bell tower was demolished, the remainder converted into a single-balcony minaret. The bell, which was cast in the 19th century in South America, was taken to Gaziantep Museum.[ citation needed]
After renovation, the mosque reopened on 17 June 2017. [1]
During the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, its dome and minarets collapsed. [7]
Liberation Mosque | |
---|---|
Kurtuluş Camii | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam, originally Christianity |
Location | |
Location | Şahinbey, Gaziantep Province, Turkey |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Sarkis Balyan |
Type | mosque |
Date established | 1986 (as mosque) |
Groundbreaking | 1892 |
Completed | 1893 |
Liberation Mosque ( Turkish: Kurtuluş Camii), formerly the St. Mary's Cathedral or Holy Mother of God Church ( Armenian: Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի, romanized: Surp Asdvazdadzin Egeghetsʿi), is located in the Tepebaşı district of Şahinbey, Gaziantep in Turkey. [1] [2] Initially built as an Armenian Apostolic church, it was converted into a stable after the Armenian genocide; and later, into a jail. [2] Sarkis Balyan—the Ottoman-Armenian architect serving Sultan Abdul Hamid II—designed the church. The building was constructed between 1892 and 1893, undertaken by the stonemason Sarkis Taşçıyan. [1] [3] The church was part of a complex which also contained a school and the administrative buildings of the dioceses of the kaza of Antep. [4]
In 1915, almost all of the Gaziantep Armenians were deported to the Syrian desert during the genocide. [5] The church was sealed on 22 August 1915; and its sacramentals and furnishings were put in a large stable, then they were bought and sold at an auction. [1] For over three years the cathedral was used by government for military purposes. [1] Next, it was turned into a prison in the early 1920s; and served as such until the 1970s. [1] [6]
The building was converted into a mosque in 1986. [2] The top half of the bell tower was demolished, the remainder converted into a single-balcony minaret. The bell, which was cast in the 19th century in South America, was taken to Gaziantep Museum.[ citation needed]
After renovation, the mosque reopened on 17 June 2017. [1]
During the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, its dome and minarets collapsed. [7]