User Reviews
Gül Mosque (Gül Camii, meaning 'Rose Mosque') in Istanbul, Turkey, is a former Byzantine church later converted by the Ottomans.
Scholars dispute its origins, with some linking it to the Nunnery of Saint Theodosia and others to the Monastery of Christ the Benefactor. The 15th-century traveler Stephan Gerlach identified it as Hagia Theodosia, but later research suggests it dates to the 12th-century Komnenian period and may have been the Monastery of Christos Euergetēs.
During the Byzantine era, the church was associated with St. Theodosia, a nun martyred in 729 for opposing Iconoclasm. Over time, she became a revered figure, and the church, originally dedicated to St. Euphemia, was later named after her. Built during Basil I’s reign, it was looted during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453, the church, adorned with roses at the time, was converted into Gül Mosque. A minaret was added during Selim II’s reign, and earthquakes caused significant damage, leading to restorations under Murad IV and Mahmud II.
The mosque has a Greek cross-plan with a high vaulted basement and five domes, the central one being an Ottoman addition. The exterior features the recessed-brick technique typical of Byzantine architecture, while the apse, galleries, and side chapels resemble those of the Pantokrator Monastery. The mihrab was placed in the former main apse. A small chamber inside is believed to house the tomb of Gül Baba, an Ottoman holy man, though it may have originally belonged to St. Theodosia.
Among Istanbul’s surviving Byzantine churches, Gül Mosque remains a significant example of cross-in-square architecture.
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.