Hagia Sophia, Trabzon
description: Built in Trebizond during the reign of Manuel I between 1238 and 1263, there is carved graffiti in the apses dating to 1291 and 1293. The church was converted into a mosque after the conquest Mehmed II in 1461, however some scholars suggest that the conversation did not take place until over a century later in 1584, due to the church’s location outside of the city walls. The monastery attached to the church was still in use by Greek Orthodox monks in 1701. Apparently used as a cholera hospital in the 19th century, the first archeological examination was during the Russian occupation in World War I, by Fyodor Uspensky and others. By the 1950s, it was once again a mosque, however in 1964, it was turned into a museum, and the surviving (previously whitewashed) frescoes were uncovered). These frescoes are thought to account for only 1/6th of the original decoration, but all are considered to be original, completed just after construction. In 2013, the Hagia Sophia was converted back into a mosque, despite a local judge ruling this to be illegal. The frescoes and opus sectile floor were covered by immovable curtains and carpets until 2018, when the building was closed for renovation. In 2020, the ministry of religious affairs fulfilled the promise to make the frescoes visible outside of prayer time, and a glass covering was placed over the opus sectile floor.
source: https://media-management-api.tlt.harvard.edu/api/iiif/manifest/413