TheLala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Turkish:Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii), originally known as theCathedral of Saint Nicholas and later as theSaint Sophia (Ayasofya)Mosque of Mağusa, is the largest medieval building inFamagusta,Cyprus.

Cathederal of Saint Nicholas (1328-1571) Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (1571-present)
Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii
Religion
Affiliation	Catholiccathedral 1328–1571 Mosque 1571–present
District	de jureFamagusta District de factoGazimağusa District
Year consecrated	1328
Status	Active as a mosque
Location
Location	Famagusta de jureCyprus de factoNorthern Cyprus
The location of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Cyprus
Geographic coordinates	35°07′30″N33°56′34″E / 35.12490°N 33.94268°E /35.12490; 33.94268
Architecture
Style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1298
Minaret(s)	1

Built between 1298 and c. 1400, it was consecrated as aCatholiccathedral in 1328. The cathedral wasconverted into a mosque after theOttoman Empire captured Famagusta in 1571 and it remains a mosque to this day. From 1954 the building has taken its name fromLala Mustafa Pasha, thegrand vizier of theOttoman Empire fromSokolovići inBosnia, who servedMurat III and led Ottoman forces against theVenetians in Cyprus.

The FrenchLusignan dynasty ruled asKings of Cyprus from 1192 to 1489 and brought with them the latest French taste in architecture, notably developments inGothic architecture.

The cathedral was constructed from 1298 to 1312 and was consecrated in 1328. A unique inscription on a buttress beside the south door records the progress of construction in 1311.^[1] "After an unfortunate episode when the current bishop embezzled the restoration fund",^[2] Bishop Guy of Ibelin bequeathed 20,000bezants for its construction.^[3] The Lusignans would be crowned as Kings of Cyprus in theSt. Sophia Cathedral (now Selimiye Mosque) in Nicosia and then crowned asKings of Jerusalem in the St Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta.^[4][5]

The building is built inRayonnant Gothic style, quite rare outside France, though "mediated through buildings in the Rhineland".^[6] The historic tie between France and Cyprus is evidenced by its parallels to French archetypes such asReims Cathedral. Indeed, so strong is the resemblance, that the building has been dubbed "The Reims of Cyprus"; it was built with three doors, twin towers over the aisles and a flat roof, typical of Crusader architecture.

Sometime after 1480, a meeting chamber, known as theLoggia Bembo, was added to the south-west corner of the cathedral. Notable for its elaborately moulded entrance with slender pillars in marble, it is in an architectural style that departs considerably from that of the cathedral proper. The association with theBembo family, some of whom held prominent positions in Cyprus, is shown by their heraldic devices on the building.^[7] To enhance the Loggia, late antique fragments in marble, probably brought fromSalamis, were placed as seats each side of the entrance.

The upper parts of the cathedral's two towers suffered from earthquakes, were badly damaged during theOttoman bombardments of 1571, and were never repaired. With the Venetians defeated and Famagusta fallen by August 1571, Cyprus fell underOttoman control and the cathedral was converted into a mosque, renamed the "St. Sophia Mosque of Mağusa".^[8]

Nearly all statuary,cruciforms, stained glass,frescos, and paintings were removed or plastered over, as well as most tombs and the altar. The Gothic structure was preserved however, and a few tombs can still be identified in the north aisle.

In 1954, it was renamed theLala Mustafa Pasha Mosque after the commander of the 1570 Ottoman conquest - infamous for the gruesome torture ofMarco Antonio Bragadin, the Venetian commander of the city's fortress. Bragadin had surrendered the city following a brutal 10-month siege in which 6,000 Christian defenders held off an army of more than 100,000 Ottoman Turks.

The Cathedral of St. Nicholas was not widely emulated as far as can be judged from surviving buildings of the Lusignan period in Cyprus. However, in the nineteenth century the west portal and other details were copied directly in the Greek Orthodox church atLysi.

Famagusta Cathedral appears in several works of literature, includingKuraj by the Italian writerSilvia Di Natale,Sunrise by the British authorVictoria Hislop andIn Search of Sixpence by the Anglo-Cypriot authorMichael Paraskos.

• Rayonnant
• Saint Sophia Cathedral, Nicosia
• Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques

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  St. Nicholas Cathedral, Famagusta, Cyprus, detail of a late antiquelintel used as a seat in front of Loggia Bembo.
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  Inscription dated 1311 on the south side of St. Nicholas Cathedral,Famagusta, recording the progress of the construction.
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  St. Nicholas Cathedral,Famagusta, Cyprus, Loggia Bembo, detail of the entrance,circa 1480s. The heraldic devices of the Bembo family are on the abaci of the pillars and visible on the end of the marble seat.
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  The interior.

• Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St Nicholas Cathedral)
• Cypnet page with sources relating to the Ottoman occupation and invasion plans
• Aerial photograph
• Flickr photograph
• Interior photo of the nave^[usurped]
• Cyprus travel guide
• St Peter and Paul Church (Sinan Pasha Mosque) Famagusta