The Byzantine Monastery of Chora in Istanbul, which served as a museum for 79 years, has been converted into a mosque. Turkish President Erdogan issued a decree to this effect in 2020, but the plans were put on hold due to the need for the restoration of the monastery's main church. Erdogan's decision sparked protests from the Greek government and condemnation from UNESCO.

The first Muslim prayers in the former monastery will commence on February 23, as reported by orthodoxia.info. Specially designed red woolen carpets, commonly used in mosques, have been laid on the premises for the ceremony, and the mosaics and frescoes inside the building have been fully restored.

Until recently, the Church of Christ the Savior in Chora, built in the 11th century, also known as the Chora Monastery, was considered to have preserved its original appearance to the greatest extent among all the Byzantine churches in Istanbul. It was most famous for its mosaics and frescoes. After the fall of Constantinople, in 1511, during the rule of Sultan Bayezid II, the Ottomans converted this church into a mosque, covering the famous paintings with plaster. Four centuries later, in 1945, the Chora Monastery began to function as a museum, and in 2019, the Supreme Court of Turkey made a decision to turn the Chora Monastery back into an active mosque.

A similar fate befell another famous Byzantine monument, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. It was converted into a mosque in 2020, and regular Muslim prayers are now held there. The transformation was condemned not only by UNESCO and representatives of the Christian world but also by several Muslim figures. Global media and the archaeological community have often reported that the cathedral is at risk of destruction due to the careless treatment of the architectural monument.