Church of Pantocrator

Zeyrek mosque, which is known as the church of Pantocrator, is the second largest monument of Byzantine architecture in Istanbul....

Church History

The history of this holy place has begun long time ago. The empress, Eirene Komnena, had begun the construction of the monastery complex in 1118. it includes church, library and hospital. The complex was dedicated to Christ Pantocrator. After the death of the empress in 1124, the construction was continued by Emperor John II. He had built a church in honor of the Icon of Lady of Mercy, not far from the church of Pantocrator and connected two buildings with a covered walkway to the chapel of the Archangel Michael.

The conversion to mosque

Later, the Pantocrator monastery came under the reign of Venetian clergy, which placed in the church the famous icon of Hodegetria. The emperor Baldwin II built there his palace. After the expulsion of the Latins,the monastery found its Christian mission again. One of the monks named Gennadius Scholarius was elected as the patriarch of the church after the conquest of Constantinople by Turks. But even he could not prevent the Orthodox shrine from becoming a mosque. And the new mosque was named in honor of Zeyrek - the sage of the nearby madrasah.

The shrine today

At the moment, the building is in satisfactory condition. The complex has retained its original appearance - the monastery, two churches, burial chapel in between, and around - a hospital, psychiatric hospitals and charitable institutions for homeless and indigent elderly.
In many ways - thanks to the numerous restorations. The works of the mosque’s restoration were began only in the late twentieth century. Now the Zeyrek mosque in Istanbul, is in the list of the World Heritage, which is threatened with destruction.