Armenian Patriarch urges Christian space in Hagia Sophia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Patrik Sahak II, has joined the discussion over the potential re-transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, stating that it is big enough for that purpose while suggesting a space for Christians.

In a chain of tweets on June 13, the Patriarch said "may Hagia Sophia become a symbol of the peace of humanity in our era.”

"May the world applaud our religious peace and maturity," he said in his tweets.

The Hagia Sophia was built in the sixth century at the time of the Christian Byzantine Empire and served as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church. It was converted into an imperial mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1453. The structure was converted into a museum in 1935, during Turkey's period of strictly secular single-party rule. However, in the time since, there has been much discussion over converting it back into a mosque