Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque ( _tr. Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii) originally known as the "Saint Nicolas Cathedral" and later as the "Ayasofya (Saint Sophia) Mosque of Magusa" is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, Cyprus. Built between 1298 and c.1400 it was consecrated as a Christian cathedral in 1328. The cathedral was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman Empire captured Famagusta in 1571 and remains a mosque to this day.

Early History

The French Lusignan dynasty ruled as Kings of Cyprus from 1190 to 1489 and had brought with them the latest French taste in architecture, notably developments in Gothic architecture.

The mosque was constructed (initially as a cathedral) from 1300CE to c.1400CE and was consecrated in 1328. "After an unfortunate episode when the current bishop embezzled the restoration fund" [Eileen Davey. "Northern Cyprus: a traveller's guide". I.B.Tauris Publishers, 1994. Page 97.] , Bishop Guy of Ibelin bequeathed 20,000 bezants for its constructon. [Adrian J. Boas. "Crusader Archaeology: the Material Culture of the Latin East". Routledge (UK), 1999. Page 49.] The Lusignans would be crowned as Kings of Cyprus in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Nicosia and then crowned as Kings of Jerusalem in the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Famagusta. [http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city/famagusta/lala/index.html Cyprus net web page] ] http://www.holidayinnorthcyprus.com/destinations_magusa.jsp Holiday Inn travel guide to Cyprus]

The building is constructed in a flamboyant Gothic style, quite rare outside France, though "mediated through buildings in the Rhineland" [Nicola Coldstream. "Medieval Architecture." Oxford University Press, 2002. Page 13.] . The historic tie between France and Cyprus is evidenced by its parallels to French archetypes such as the Rheims cathedral. Indeed, so strong is the resemblance, that the building has been dubbed "The Reims of Cyprus". The building has three doors, twin towers over the aisles and a flat roof, typical of Crusader architecture.

Ottoman Era

The upper parts of the mosque's two towers suffered from earthquakes and were badly damaged during the Ottoman bombardments of 1571; they have never been repaired. With the Venetians defeated and Famagusta fallen by August of 1571, Cyprus fell under Ottoman control and the cathedral was converted into a mosque and renamed the "St.Sophia Mosque of Gazimagosa". [ [http://www.cm.gov.nc.tr/trnc/f1.htm FAMAGUSTA 1 ] ]
Islamic tradition holds that the depiction of humans, animals and other faiths in their religious architecture is sinful and so almost all of the statues, crucifixes, frescoes, paintings, tombs, stained glass windows and the altar were removed or plastered over. The Gothic structure was preserved however and a few tombs can still be identified in the north aisle.

In 1954 its name was changed again to the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque after the commander of the 1570 Ottoman conquest.

Image Gallery

References

* [http://www.cyprus-holidays-hotels.com/Famagusta/lala_mustafa_pasha_mosque.html Cyprus travel guide]
* [http://eprints.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/00000392/01/Art_5_Vol_9.pdf St Peter and Paul Church (Sinan Pasha Mosque) Famagusta.]

External links

* [http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/ottoman/evkaf2.html Cypnet page with sources relating to the Ottoman occupation and invastion plans]
* [http://www.cyprus44.com/photos/show.asp?photo=lala-mustafa-pasha-mosque-from-helicopter Aerial photograph]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/baby7/181090058/ Flickr photograph]
* [http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=925153 Interior photo of the nave]

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