Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral). Photo and description

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, also known as St. Nicholas Cathedral, is one of the main attractions of Northern Cyprus and the most beautiful building in the city. It has interesting story: originally a Catholic church was converted into a mosque. This example is considered unique, so it is combined here Gothic architecture with oriental elements and a completely atypical interior inside. This monument of medieval culture should be visited by every tourist who finds himself in this area.

History of the cathedral

By order of the Cypriot king of the Lusignan dynasty, construction of a Catholic church began in 1298. It was completed only in 1326, and illuminated in 1328. For its creation, the patron allocated a huge sum for those times - 70,000 gold bizants. Although about 100 years ago the entire island of Cyprus was sold for 100,000 of the same coins. The creation was in full swing. The temple became the most striking object not only of this area, but of the entire state. Several important historical events took place here:

• until 1570, wedding ceremonies of monks to the throne of Jerusalem took place here;
• in this place, the last queen from the Lusignan dynasty, Caterina Cornaro, renounced the throne;
• from here began a crusade that helped stop the spread of the plague.

In 1570, an army of 100 thousand Turkish soldiers attacked Cyprus. Famagusta held out the longest with its small number of a few thousand people. In 1571 the city fell and came under the control of Ottoman Empire. The main shrine was converted into the Hagia Sophia mosque, adding a minaret to the left side. Corresponding changes also followed inside. In 1735, the building was damaged due to an earthquake. In 1954, it was renamed in honor of the army commander Lal Mustafa Pasha, who is known as the “invader of Cyprus.” It was he who participated in the capture of this city, which in Turkish sounds like Magus or Gazimagus.

Architecture and interior decoration

Initially, the architectural object was an exact copy of the Reims Cathedral in France in the city of the same name. In fact, it is the only example of the Radiant Gothic style built outside the French state. The three-nave structure, 55 meters high and 23 meters wide, is supported by 12 columns. Equally 6 on each side, all topped by a high vaulted ceiling.

From the west there are three entrances, decorated with pointed portals with carvings. A mandatory element in such objects is a round window above the center, reminiscent of a flower pattern. There were two bell towers on the sides at the top, but they were badly damaged. They were not restored, making the left one into a minaret. They also removed the sculptural compositions from the niches with windows. The façade is decorated with stone carvings and sinuous decorative elements.

According to Islamic traditions, people should not be depicted inside the mosque, so all the decoration of the cathedral was lost. The frescoes on the walls were painted over, the relics were destroyed, the altar was destroyed, and the stained glass windows were replaced with ordinary glass. The only thing left is the burial ground. In the floor you can find a marble slab - this is the tomb of the Bishop of Famagusta. Today there is a carpet laid here, a large chandelier hangs, and the fine art is whitewashed and a mihrab is installed.

Note the oldest tree on the island. This is the fig tree on the left side of the entrance. It was planted during the construction of the shrine, the exact date is unknown. The age is more than 700 years.

Visiting rules

Entry is free for visitors. You can leave donations if you wish. Only men are allowed to enter the main part of the hall; girls can look at the interior design from the side. When entering, be sure to take off your shoes. Women need to cover their head, shoulders and knees. There is no permanent work schedule. It will not be possible to enter during services. Best time visits - before lunch, Friday will be the hardest to get in.

How to get to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta

The attraction is located in Northern Cyprus in Famagusta. The territory belongs to Turkey. It does not have its own airport, so it is better to fly from Russia to Larnaca or any Turkish city. Inside settlement travel by bus. There is an İtimat stop within a 10-minute walk.

From Larnaca

There are direct flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg and some regions. The approximate cost for a one-way ticket is 4000-5000 rubles. Then from the airport you can take an intercity bus that takes you to the border. Next go passport control walk and take another bus route. The journey by car takes only 1 hour. First you need to go outside the city to the A3 highway. At the fork, turn onto E303, then On Beş Ağustos Blv. Focus on GPS coordinates - 35.124963, 33.942513.

From Turkey

There is no direct communication between Northern Cyprus and Russia. Therefore, you can only fly here by domestic flight, for example, from Istanbul. The flight takes only 1 hour 35 minutes to Ercan Havalimanı Airport. The average cost of a one-way ticket is 2,500 rubles. On site you can order a rental car or a taxi. Buses also run according to a set schedule. The journey by car will take no more than 1 hour. Take Ercan Havaalanı Yolu and Lefkoşa-Gazimağusa Anayolu towards Fevzi Çakmak Bulvarı. Then continue along Fevzi Çakmak Bulvarı.

The former Latin Cathedral of St. Nicholas is the most beautiful building in Northern Cyprus and is located in the walled city of Famagusta. A temple with a special destiny - christian cathedral, which was forced to change God and become a mosque. This makes this shrine even more unique, the combination of Gothic and minaret is impressive, surprising - where else can you see this...

Let's start with the fact that this temple has changed many names:

originally - St. Nicholas Cathedral

then Ayasophia Magusa or Hagia Sophia "St. Sophia"

and lastly - Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

The construction of St. Nicholas Cathedral began in 1298. Behind the temple there is a famous fig tree; legend says that it was planted at the same time the construction of the shrine began. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas was built in 1328. The building is also special in that it was built in the radiant Gothic style, which is a rarity outside of France (although the temple was built by the French, rulers from the Lusignan family, to whom the island of Cyprus belonged from 1192 to 1489). The construction of the cathedral followed a similar project with cathedral Reims in Paris. Thus, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas has another name: “Cyprus Reims”.

After Jerusalem fell in 1291, King Lusignan, after his coronation, came to this cathedral to be crowned King of Jerusalem. It was here that the last ruler of Lusignan, Caterina Cornaro, succumbed to pressure from the Venetians and abdicated the throne.

St. Nicholas Cathedral was converted into Muslim mosque Ayasophia Magusa after the capture of Famagusta by the Ottoman army in 1571. Then a minaret was also added to the cathedral, which, surprisingly, fit very organically into the Gothic style. Lala Mustafa Pasha received its new name in 1954 in honor of the Turkish general, who, under the walls of this temple, flayed the still living captain-general Marco Antonio Bragadin, who led the defense of the city of Famagusta.

The unique status helped the building survive during the Turkish conflict, when many Christian churches were destroyed. They used to say about Famagusta that you can pray here several times a day, all in a new church - just imagine, Famagusta once had 365 churches! Only part of the buildings has survived to this day. The cathedral was damaged during the bombing of 1571, when Turkish troops kept Famagusta under siege, which at that time belonged to the Venetians, and the building was also affected by the earthquake of 1735. Despite such a difficult fate, the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque is still a functioning mosque.

Inside the mosque, according to Muslim practice, all images of the human form have been removed and the frescoes on the walls have been covered with plaster, and who knows what valuables remain hidden underneath. Turkish military commander Lala Mustafa Pasha destroyed the statues of saints and replaced the stained glass with transparent glass. But this was not enough for him; the Turks removed the tombstones and removed human remains, including the last two Lusignan kings.

As with all mosques, the floor of the temple was covered with carpet and it is possible that some tombstones still remain. In the northwest corner, only the tomb of Bishop Famagusta remains, who was ordained in 1360 and died in 1365 from hypothermia. The apse, now without an alter, is headed by a crown, depicting not only the crown of Christ as the King of Heaven, but also the crown of Lusignan in Jerusalem.

Photo: Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral)

Architects and historians unanimously call this mosque true perfection.

Shehzade, located in historical center Istanbul is in no way inferior in its beauty and grandeur.

To this day, it enjoys great interest not only among visiting tourists, but also among local residents.

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Story

Shehzade Mosque (Şehzade Camii) is symbol of grief. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent entrusted its construction to the architect and builder Sinan in memory of his son, heir Mehmed. The word Şehzade in Turkish means prince or prince. Shehzade Mehmet, the son of Suleiman, died very young, at the age of 21.

There are rumors that one of the concubines is to blame for this, who infected the young heir to the throne with smallpox. The Sultan's first wife sent a concubine to Mehmed, who was very jealous of the young Roksolana, Mehmed's mother.

Sultan Suleiman's grief knew no bounds. For three days he was inconsolable, and on the fourth he decided to perpetuate the memory of his youngest son by constructing a building. Suleiman missed Mehmed so much that he ordered the construction of not only a mosque, but also an entire complex with a madrasah, courtyards, rooms, and a kitchen. He wanted to live next to his son's mausoleum. Everything was built in just four years (1544-1548).

If you are wondering where Sultan Suleiman and his wife Hurrem Sultan (known from the series “The Magnificent Century”) lived, then be sure to visit, which amazes with its decoration and luxury. It is located opposite the Blue Mosque of Sultanahmet, behind the cathedral, next to a beautiful park.

According to Sinan's idea, it had to be ideal, so he built it strictly symmetrical. If you look from above, you can see that it is made in the shape of a square. Another amazing feature is its the courtyard is exactly equal to the perimeter of the building itself.

The central, largest dome is supported by four arches. Around the central dome, the architect placed four more smaller semi-domes. There are only two minarets here, but they are like real works of art: the bottoms are decorated with traditional Ottoman-style patterns.

The raised foundation holds a little secret. There is a swimming pool underneath, which keeps the building cool in summer and always warm in winter.

The interior decoration of the temple is made in a rather strict and restrained style. No frills. The main colors here are light. On a white background there are discreet ornaments in the Ottoman style.

On the territory there is also the Shehzade Mausoleum - one of the most beautiful architectural buildings in Istanbul. The mausoleum was also built according to all the laws of Ottoman architecture. The inside of the mausoleum is decorated with Iznik tiles. There is a beautiful fountain in the courtyard, which was built later during the reign of Sultan Murad IV.

Everything you can see is shown in these amateur photographs of tourists.