Kursum Mosque Κουρσούμ Τζαμί | |
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![]() Kursum Mosque in 2020 | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Region | Western Macedonia |
Year consecrated | 15th or 16th century |
Status | Closed |
Location | |
Municipality | Kastoria |
Country | Greece |
Geographic coordinates | 40°31′13.3″N 21°15′55.3″E / 40.520361°N 21.265361°E |
Architecture | |
Style | Ottoman architecture |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | 1 |
Minaret(s) | 1 (half-ruined) |
The Kursum Mosque ( Greek: Κουρσούμ Τζαμί, Turkish: Kurşunlu Camii [1]) is a historical Ottoman-era mosque in the town of Kastoria, Western Macedonia, Greece. The mosque is located close to the old centre of town, on Mitropoleos Street. [2]
Kursum Mosque, named for its lead roof, was the most prominent mosque of Kastoria. [3] [2] [4] The dating for its construction following the Ottoman conquest is either the fifteenth or sixteenth century. [2] [4] Tsamisis and Moutsopoulos wrote it was built on the site of a previous Byzantine church, which in turn was erected on the site of an ancient pagan temple. [2] A turbe or burial monument located within Kursum Mosque's courtyard had four brick walls and arches enclosed by a dome. [5] Under the Ottomans, the mosque functioned as a place of worship for several centuries until Kastoria was annexed by Greece. [2] [3] The last imam sold the mosque prior to the departure of the town's Muslim population. [3]
In 1925 the mosque was declared a preserved monument by Greece. [6] [7] [2] Kastoria municipality attempted in 1935 to get a permit and demolish the mosque for aesthetic reasons. [7] The move was opposed by the local curator and the Ministry of Education, and instead only the mosque portico and nearby turbe was demolished. [7] Unlike several other Ottoman mosques in Kastoria, Kursum mosque was spared destruction due to continuous use. [2] Under Greece, the mosque was initially used as a library, later a museum and its most recent use as an antiquities warehouse, closed to the public. [3] [2]
Kursum Mosque is the only surviving mosque in Kastoria in a moderate state of preservation. [3] Most of the external rendering on the walls has fallen off and the mosque has sustained some damage. [3] Left unattended over the years, the mosque is at risk of collapse. [2] Only the lower half of the minaret remains, and the mosque dome is externally covered with plant overgrowth. [2] Internally, the building has good acoustic properties. [4]
In the mid 2010s, interest in the mosque was revived when several students from the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki selected the mosque for their postgraduate studies. [4] Their work, part of the interdepartmental postgraduate program "Protection, maintenance and restoration of cultural monuments", a government initiative, documented the mosque's history and gave suggestions for future uses. [4] The students presence was controversial, as part of the Kastoria municipal council opposed funding their accommodation. [2] Reasons given were a Muslim community was absent in modern Kastoria and opposition toward mosque restorations in Greece while there were discussions in Turkey over converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. [2] [a] These efforts led to the Kastoria antiquity authority, in cooperation with the Greek Culture Ministry to set aside funds for further study toward restoration and maintenance works. [4]
Later, one million euros were allocated from the Recovery and Resilience Fund toward restoring the mosque. [4] In September 2022 work began by removing soil in and around the mosque and strengthening the building's foundation. [4] During the excavation, the foundations of an older medieval Byzantine basilica and 25 medieval burials containing 47 individuals were uncovered. [4] Other artifacts uncovered were copper coins, metal buttons, glass and clothing fragments. [4] Although yet undetermined, Tsamisis and Orlando have said the basilica could have been dedicated to either Panagia ( Mary, mother of Jesus) or Saint Paraskevi. [4] The three aisled basilica was converted into a cemetery in the thirteenth century. [4] After the fifteenth century Ottoman conquest, the mosque was built atop the basilica foundations and building material from the church was used for the new structure. [4] Restoration works are set to conclude in 2025, with the mosque coming under Kastoria's jurisdiction for public use and cultural events. [4]