The glorious churches of Aghia Sophia and the Holy Savior at the monastery of Chora in Constantinople have been converted into mosques by the current Turkish government. While the future of these edifices of Greek Orthodoxy may seem bleak, they cannot be abandoned to their fate. Constantinople will always be the greatest of all Greek cities and the spiritual heart of Orthodoxy. As I told an official of UNESCO in Paris in 2015, Aghia Sophia is the product of the Gospel and Orthodox theology.

I have been in touch with UNESCO officials since 2013 when the Turkish government converted the former Church-Museum of Aghia Sophia located in Trebizond into a mosque. This early warning signaled that eventually THE Aghia Sophia in Constantinople would be seized by the Turkish government for the purpose of de-Christianization. Most recently, I have written to UNESCO to protest the conversion of the great Monastery of Chora by the Turkish government while simultaneously protesting the physical destruction due to negligence and vandalism occurring within Aghia Sophia. (Pieces of wood from the doors are being removed).

The Monastery of Chora is renowned worldwide for the beauty and other worldly quality of its iconography. UNESCO has been kind enough to reply to my letters over the past few years, and most recently in a letter dated August 6, UNESCO addressed my concerns. In a very positive development, I have been informed that the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO visited Aghia Sophia this past June.

While UNESCO published a report which included Aghia Sophia and the Chora Monastery in 2021, a new report is being prepared for release in July 2025. These are good developments. However, the situation regarding Aghia Sophia and the Chora Monastery remain dire and the recent changes in status might not be reversed.

Why the continued protests and letters? Because Aghia Sophia was named for Christ himself (ναός της Του Θεού Σοφίας – Church of the Divine Wisdom of God)! Because Aghia Sophia was built under the auspices of the Emperor, Saint, and theologian Justinian the Great and served as THE Patriarchal Cathedral for nine centuries. Aghia Sophia is also a national shrine as it is the site of martyrdom that occurred on 29 May 1453 during the fall of Constantinople.

Aghia Sophia and the Holy Savior Monastery in Chora are the spiritual heritage of Greek Orthodoxy, and must not be forgotten.

Theodore G. Karakostas is the author of the books ‘In the Shadow of Hagia Sophia’ and ‘With This Sign Conquer’.