Church architecture

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece on Friday issued a statement responding to reports that the Turkish government is pondering the transformation of the Hagia Sophia UNESO World Heritage site in Istanbul from a museum into a mosque.

An official with the US State Department has reiterated Washington's belief in the protection of the "complex multi-religious history" of Hagia Sophia, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Istanbul and former Greek Orthodox patriarchal cathedral.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly instructed government officials to "do a study" on how to change the status of Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine-era Greek Patriarchal cathedral that was later transformed into an Ottoman mosque before becoming a museum in 1935. 

Greece has no say over what happens to Istanbul's Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said, while accusing Athens of undermining the religious freedoms of its Muslim community.

Turkey on May 30 shot back at an objection from Greece on the reading of passages from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), a landmark mosque-converted-museum in Istanbul. 

Imams will recite verses of the Quran in Istanbul's Byzantine-era cathedral Hagia Sophia during Friday's prayers on the anniversary of the city's 1453 conquest by Ottoman troops, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said according to reports Thursday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday said there would be no relaxation of curfew rules in Serbia over Orthodox Easter this weekend - after the Church asked for the weekend curfew to be lifted on Sunday from 5am to 10am to let believers leave home and attend churches for the liturgy.

The government adopted on Monday a request by the Greek Orthodox Church to allow Easter services to be held behind closed doors without a congregation as of Palm Sunday on April 12.

The measure will be in place for one week, until April 20, which is the Orthodox Easter Monday.

Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Museum remained Turkey's most visited tourist attraction in 2019, according to data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry. (Alamy Photo)

Paris authorities will begin the delicate task of removing scaffolding from the collapsed spire of Notre-Dame cathedral in coming weeks after a devastating fire in April, a charity said June 24.