“Did you hear about the All-Blessed Mother of God?” they whispered in Constantinople. That’s what they called the Pammakaristos Church. Now, it stands before us transformed as the Fahri Kasapoğlu Cami.
Let me tell you about this fascinating place. Its story weaves through empires and faiths. The Fahri Kasapoğlu Cami started as the Pammakaristos Church. This translates to “All-Blessed Mother of God”. It was a significant Byzantine church. Many believe it was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Some historians attribute it to Michael VII Ducas. Others think it was founded during the Comnenian period.
Around 1310 Martha Glabas added a side chapel. This chapel honored her late husband Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes. He was a general. The poet Manuel Philes wrote an inscription for this chapel. The main church was also renovated then.
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, the church became the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in 1456. It remained so until 1587.
Five years later Sultan Murad III converted the church into a mosque. He renamed it Fethiye Camii to celebrate his conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan. To make space for prayers they removed many interior walls. This created a larger inner area.
After years of neglect the Byzantine Institute of America and Dumbarton Oaks restored the complex in 1949. The main building is still a mosque. However the side chapel has been a museum since then. Restoration work began again in 2021. The mosque reopened for prayer in 2022. The restoration was completed in 2024. It officially opened for visitors.
The original church had a main aisle and two deambulatoria. These are aisles that encircle the central part of the church. It also had three apses. A narthex stood to the west. The masonry used the recessed brick technique. Alternate courses of brick are behind the wall line. They are set in mortar.
The conversion to a mosque changed the building greatly. Arcades connecting the main aisle were removed. They were replaced with broad arches. The three apses were also removed. A large domed room was built to the east. It was at an angle to the building’s orientation.
The side chapel shows late Byzantine architecture. It has a cross-in-square plan with five domes. The vertical and horizontal proportions are more elongated than usual.
The inner marble decorations are mostly gone. But the chapel still has restored mosaics. The central dome features Christ Pantocrator. He is surrounded by Old Testament prophets. These include Moses Jeremiah and Isaiah. In the apse Christ Hyperagathos is shown with Mary and John the Baptist. A Baptism of Christ scene is on the dome’s right side.
The Fahri Kasapoğlu Cami is not just a building. It is a testament to Istanbul’s layered past. It is a place where Byzantine artistry meets Ottoman design. It is a reminder that even sacred spaces can transform. They can adapt to new purposes. They can tell new stories across centuries. As we leave take a moment to consider this journey of faith transformation and art.