transferred to Trabzon museum [Credit: Hurriyet]
According to information provided by the Provincial Culture Directorate, the Hagia Sophia, which served as a museum for some time, has been transferred to the Trabzon Regional Directorate of Foundations through a court decision and turned into mosque again. Therefore, 33 historic artifacts and epitaphs from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras in the garden of the structure were decided to be transferred to the Trabzon Museum.
Following a classification process, the pieces were carried to the museum and will be displayed there from now on.
The Church of Saint Sophia dates back to the thirteenth century and has been described as being "regarded as one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture."
After the Ottoman conquest of Trabzon In 1461 the church was converted into a mosque and its frescos covered in whitewash. In 1964 it was turned into a museum and transferred to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
In 2012 the religious authorities (Diyanet) filed a lawsuit against the ministry of culture, claiming the ministry had been 'illegaly occupying' the church for some decades. Diyanet won the case and on 5 July 2013 the former church was converted into a mosque.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News [January 02, 2014]