| Kefeli Mosque Kefeli Câmîi | |
|---|---|
 The Kefeli Mosque seen from the south | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Year consecrated | Between 1623 and 1640 |
| Location | |
| Location | Istanbul,Turkey |
  Location in the Fatih district of Istanbul | |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°1′46″N28°56′30″E / 41.02944°N 28.94167°E /41.02944; 28.94167 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | church |
| Style | Byzantine |
| Completed | Between 13th and 15th century |
| Specifications | |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
| Materials | brick, stone |
TheKefeli Mosque (Turkish:Kefeli Câmîi, meaning "the mosque of the Caffariotes", after the inhabitants of the city ofCaffa inCrimea, or alsoKefeli Mescidi, whereMescit is the Turkish word for a small mosque) is a formerEastern Orthodox church, later jointly officiated byRoman Catholics andArmenians, and finally converted into amosque by theOttomans. The Catholic Church was dedicated toSaint Nicholas. Its date of dedication as an Eastern Orthodox church is unknown, but it is commonly identified with the 9th-centuryMonastery of Manuel (Greek:Μονὴ τοῦ Μανουήλ).
The interest of Kefeli Mosque arises because it repurposes the early Christianbasilica form during the laterByzantine period.[1]
The building lies inIstanbul, in the district ofFatih, in the neighborhood of Salmatomruk, onKasap Sokak, more or less halfway between the mosque ofChora and the mosque ofFethiye.
The origin of this building, which lies on the slope of the sixth hill ofConstantinople, is not certain. The tradition says that in the ninth centuryManuel the Armenian, a general in thewars against theSaracens during the reign ofEmperorTheophilos (r. 829–842), built amonastery converting his house, which lay near thecistern of Aspar.[2] Manuel was the uncle of EmpressTheodora, wife of Theophilos, and before retiring to his monastery he was one of the three counselors who assisted her in the regency for her infant sonMichael III, following the death of her husband.
The Monastery of Manuel was rebuilt by PatriarchPhotius, and was restored again by usurperRomanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944). EmperorMichael VII (r. 1071–1078) retired here after his deposition.[3] All these events show the importance of this monastery in Constantinople. Nevertheless, the attribution of this building to the complex founded by Manuel is far from certain, and has been denied by the newest research.[1]
The documented history of the current edifice begins in 1475, shortly after theFall of Constantinople, when theOttomans conquered theGenoese colony ofCaffa, inCrimea. All theLatin,Greek andJewish inhabitants who lived in Caffa ("Caffariotes" or, inTurkish,Kefeli) were then deported to Istanbul and relocated to this quarter. The Latins, mainlyGenoese, were authorized to use this building as a church together with theArmenians.[1] The church, dedicated toSaint Nicholas, was officiated by theDominicans, and kept by four Catholic families.[4] Armenians and Catholics had separatedaltars.[4] This small church depended on the near CatholicChurch of Saint Mary, which later became theOdalar Mosque.[4] In 1630, under the reign ofMurad IV (1623–1640), the church was converted into amescit (a small mosque) byGreat VizierReceb Pasha, but retained the denomination, being first known asKefeMahalle, then as Kefeli Mescidi. In exchange, the Armenians got a Greek church inBalat.[4]
The building is a large hall, 22.6 meter long by 7.22 wide,[5] and is oriented in north–south direction, which is quite uncommon among the Byzantine churches inConstantinople. Itsmasonry consists of alternate courses ofbricks and stones. The original building had a triple-nave plan, but the only remains of the sideaisles belong to the end wall of the western one.[1] To the north side there is an arch and a semicircularapse made of bricks, which outside has a polygonal shape. The walls of the apse are indented by twoniches. The main aisle has walls which are lighted by two ranges of windows, which are irregularly spaced. The southern wall is also lighted by two ranges of windows. The lower windows are much larger than the higher. The entrance is situated in the middle of the western wall. Under the western side there is a cistern, whose roof rests on threecolumns.[5]
The dating of the edifice is uncertain. The polygonal apse and the niches in the apse are typical of the churches ofPalaiologan foundation.[1] The building is architecturally interesting because it is an example of reproposition of the early ChristianBasilica form during the laterByzantine period.[1]
