Fethiye Camii

Lonely Planet review

The Fethiye Camii was built in the 12th century as the Church of the Theotokos Pammakaristos or Church of the Joyous Mother of God. It is usually closed so if you want to enter you'll need to organise a time with the caretaker at Aya Sofya (212-522 0989). The original monastery church was added to several over the centuries before being converted to a mosque in 1573 to commemorate Sultan Murat III's victories in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Before its conversion it served as the headquarters of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch (1456-1568); not long after the Conquest Mehmet the Conqueror visited to discuss theological questions with Patriarch Gennadios. They talked in the side chapel known as the parecclesion, which has been restored to its former Byzantine splendour and functions as a museum; the rest of the building remains a mosque. Though not as splendid as those in the nearby Kariye Müzesi, the building's Byzantine mosaics have been beautifully restored and are well worth seeing, particularly the Pantocrator and 12 Prophets adorning the dome, and the Christ Hyperagathos with the Virgin and St John the Baptist in the apse.