the St. Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul is a monument of Byzantine architecture, which was erected in 532-537 years. In 1985, the building was included in the world heritage of UNESCO. This is one of the most visited Russian tourists attractions of Istanbul. Turkey is actively discussing the transformation of the Cathedral into a mosque.
– Ask our colleagues, members of the Grand national Assembly of Turkey, to fully analyze the situation, – the statement says. MPs call during the discussion of the status of the Church-Museum “to show wisdom and not to revise the decision of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who for many years turned the Hagia Sophia into a symbol of peace and interfaith harmony”.
the MPs also expressed confidence that “it is necessary to take all possible steps to prevent the damage that can be caused by hasty change of the status of the Museum world scale”.
the status of the Museum, which is the temple complex was received in 1935, as indicated in the state Duma has allowed to provide access to the temple the maximum number of people.
– This is a critical issue for the Christian world, – said the head of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Leonid Slutsky.
We stand for the preservation of the Museum and temple complex of St. Sophia, which is a treasure trove of world culture and true Orthodoxy – said the head of the CPRF Gennady Zyuganov.
All factions of the state Duma spoke unanimously supported the document.
the Appeal will also be sent to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Russian government and the Federation Council.
