Greece’s history has diverse cultural aspects prominently featured by the Byzantine Empire and Ottoman rule. The country has a complex heritage that is visible via architectural landscape. Numerous churches were once converted into mosques during the Ottoman occupation. Later, they were reclaimed and restored to their original religious purpose.
As the Western media unleashes its propaganda onslaught against India over the completion of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya, it is pertinent to highlight how Greece, too, had reclaimed churches that had once fallen to the Islamic despotism and converted to mosques under the Ottoman Empire. Several Western media outlets have fallen over themselves to malign the Indian government over the completion of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, making disingenuous claims and resorting to obscurantism as they downplayed the legacy of Muslim rule in India that involved usurping temples and destroying the presiding deities within them to humiliate and punish the ‘idol-worshipping kafirs’.
So while the Western media make a beeline to defame India, it is worth revisiting how Greece, a European country intimately cognisant of the horrors of the Islamic rule, took measures to restore its Christian legacy and rich cultural heritage that predated the oppressive Ottoman rule it had to endure for centuries.
The Byzantine Empire lasted for thousands of years and fell to the Ottomans in the 15th century. The period marks a profound transformation in the religious and cultural landscape of the region. When Ottomans established their rule in Greece, they brought a significant change to convert churches to mosques. It is a practice that has been common among the Islamic rule over centuries regardless of geography. Wherever Islamic rulers went, they destroyed religious places that stood for hundreds of years to build mosques over them or simply converted the buildings into mosques. It was done to reflect the religious identity of the “new ruler” of the region and humiliate the natives by destroying their religious places that often served as the epicentre of their civilisational history.
X user Paul Antonopoulos, a PhD Candidate, wrote a thread on the Churches that were once converted by Ottomans to mosques and were later converted back to their original religious purpose. In 1493, Agios Demetrios’s church in Thessaloniki was converted into a mosque. The church was built in the 4th century AD. It was reclaimed and converted back to a church in 1949.
When Greece became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1830, and as Greece expanded over the next century, the long task of reverting mosques into churches.
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
Here are some of the reverted churches:
Agios Demetrios church in Thessaloniki, constructed in the early 4th… pic.twitter.com/saJlDTSo6r
Hagia Sophia Church in Monemvasia was constructed in 1150. It was turned into a mosque in 1715. Later, in 1827, repair works began to turn it back into a church.
Hagia Sophia Church in Monemvasia dates to about 1150 but turned into a mosque in 1715. Repair works to turn it into a church again began in 1827. pic.twitter.com/BBmPS4P2Lr
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
The construction of Hagia Sophia in Mystras dates back to the 1300s. It was converted to a mosque by the Ottoman invaders. The exact year of its conversion into a mosque is unknown. It was converted back into a church immediately after Greece’s independence in 1830.
Hagia Sophia in Mystras was constructed in the 1300's, was converted into a mosque at an undisclosed date during the Ottoman occupation (from the 1400's onwards, unntil being converted into a church almost immediately after Greece's independence in 1830. pic.twitter.com/71ddRJ02Ao
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
Agios Spyridon church in Rhodes was constructed in the 1200s. It was turned into a mosque in 1522. It was turned back into a church after the Ottoman Empire fell.
Agios Spyridon church in Rhodes was constructed in the 1200's, turned into a mosque after the Ottomans captured the island in 1522, but turned back into a church after the Ottomans were booted. The minaret still survives. pic.twitter.com/EtEDeGPJv0
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
The Church of Panagia Chalkeon in Thessaloniki was constructed in 1028. It was converted into a mosque in 140 and restored to a church in 1934.
Church of Panagia Chalkeon in Thessaloniki was constructed in 1028, became a mosque after the Ottomans captured the city in 1430, but was restored in 1934. pic.twitter.com/NzPL4mGYAJ
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
Holy Trinity Church in Rhodes was constructed between 1365 and 1374 as a catholic church. Paul wrote, “[It was] converted into a mosque under the name Khan Zade Mescidi by the Ottomans, then turned into an Orthodox church when Greece annexed the island after World War II.”
Holy Trinity church in Rhodes was built between 1365 and 1374 as a Catholic church, converted into a mosque under the name Khan Zade Mescidi by the Ottomans, then turned into an Orthodox church when the island was annexed by Greece after World War II. pic.twitter.com/KrBXIkaSZs
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
The Church of Prophet Elijah in Thessaloniki was constructed in the 1300s. In 1430, it was converted into a mosque and restored into a church in the early 1900s.
The Church of Prophet Elijah in Thessaloniki was constructed in the 1300s, turned into a mosque immediately after the Ottomans captured the city in 1430, and restored again after liberation in the early 1900s. pic.twitter.com/QUqhmgWKzt
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
Church of Saint Nicholas in Chania was a Catholic church built around 1320. It was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. It was reclaimed in 1918 and turned into an Orthodox Church.
Church of Saint Nicholas in Chania was originally a Catholic church built at around 1320, converted into a mosque during Ottoman occupation, and in 1918 was turned into an Orthodox Church. pic.twitter.com/n3YL0o1Dm6
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) January 23, 2024
In the case of India, the Mughals did the same with temples associated with Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hundreds of temples were razed down to build mosques. For example, the Hindu Temple of Bhagwan Ram was demolished in Ayodhya by Babur to build a mosque in the mid-1500s. The disputed structure stood on the spot for almost 500 years. Hindus could reclaim the land and build the Bhavya Ram Mandir after the Supreme Court of India handed the disputed piece of land to Hindus in November 2019. The temple was open to the public in January 2024 after Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha on 22nd January.
Cultural Significance of Reclaiming Religious Structures
The reclamation of religious places is about more than just restoring the buildings. It is a representation of the reclamation of the historical identity and cultural memory of the region. The reclaimed structures stand as a symbol of resilience and continuity. They create a bridge between the past that was once thought to have been lost, the present and the future. They serve as a reminder of the historical and cultural unification inherited by the region’s people. The reclamation of religious structures not only provides a sense of justice but also reignites the hope and desire to move forward among the people who have suffered atrocities for centuries.
The journey of reclaimed religious buildings, whether in Greece, India, or any part of the world, narrates the story of resilience, collaboration, and respect for diversity. Such reclamations often highlight the complex but essential parts of history, culture and religion. They underscore the importance of preserving the true history of the region to ensure future generations can experience them in their proper forms.
