SELIMIYE MOSQUE

This mosque (Selimiye Camii) is Nicosia's most impressive monument. It is the former Catholic cathedral of Saint Sophia, a masterpiece of Gothic art erected from 1209 onwards, which was transformed into a Muslim place of worship in 1570 and named in honor of the Ottoman sultan Selim Iᵉʳ. On top of the two bell towers surmounting the façade are two minarets rising 50 m high. Between them hang two huge flags: that of Turkey and that of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. For the rest, the 82.50 m-long building retains the general appearance of the original cathedral, a prestigious site where the Frankish kings of Cyprus were crowned. Here and there remain carved vegetal motifs that were not considered impious by the Ottomans. However, almost all ostensibly Christian symbols, let alone human representations, have been destroyed or hammered away: stained-glass windows, frescoes, gargoyles, sculpted crosses, etc.

Notre-Dame de Paris as a model. The Catholic cathedral itself was built on the site of the Greek Orthodox cathedral of Agia Sofia (Hagia Sophia), which dates back to at least the 11th century. Delayed by earthquakes, the construction of the new building took over a century, and masters from France took part in the work, which was completed in 1326. The result is reminiscent of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, built around the same period (1163-1345) and in the same style: it served as a model for both the general plan and the façade. The latter dates from 1326. It is pierced by a large rose window where the stained glass has been replaced by colored shards that let the light penetrate the interior. It is preceded by a remarkable porch built a few years later. The porch is topped, on the left, by a tower from which the bells were rung. Another tower, planned for the right, was never built. The porch opens onto three portals carved in marble from materials taken from the ancient site of Salamis on Cyprus, near Famagusta. All niches in the three portals have lost the statues of saints that once adorned them.

Unholy" figures. The central portal retains the only human figures in the building. These are carved on the voussoirs of the tympanum and on a small section of the tympanum itself. Plastered over in 1570, they were rediscovered in 1949. The voussoirs are decorated with garlands of foliage, bunches of rosehips and, above all, 88 intact statues: twenty-eight kings, thirty saints and thirty bishops. At the bottom of the central part of the tympanum, three other figures are visible: two on the ground and another tipped backwards. They belong to a representation of the Transfiguration, an episode in which Christ changes his appearance to reveal his divine nature to his disciples. This is a local Orthodox influence: this theme is rarely treated in Latin churches, but is frequently observed in Byzantine churches. Finally, at the entrance threshold, note the marble plaques engraved with names, monograms and symbols. These are the graffiti of Christian pilgrims from the ^14th and ^15th centuries.

Elegant pointed-arch vaults. The interior has been refurbished for Muslim worship: with its comfortable carpeting, the mosque can accommodate 2,500 worshippers. However, it is now only used for major religious festivals such as Aïd el-Adha (sacrifice of Abraham) and Aïd el-Fitr (end of Ramadan). But the layout is typical of ^13th-century French cathedrals: nave, choir without transept and apse. The nave dates from the second half of the ^13th century. It consists of a central nave with two aisles (west-east axis) and four bays (north-south axis) delimited by two rows of five wide, tall columns. The latter are supported by external buttresses whose fasciculated columns are embedded in the aisle walls. Thanks to an elegant system of pointed-arch vaults, this layout not only raised the ceiling of the central nave to a height of 24 m, but also allowed the opening of high windows onto the aisles (partly blocked since 1570, they housed the stained-glass windows). The overall symmetry of the nave was broken by the addition of a chapel on the south aisle in the ^15th century. This was intended as the base for a spire or bell tower, which was never built.

Mihrab and minbar. While the cathedral faces east, its transformation into a mosque meant a change of perspective to the southeast, towards the qibla, the site of the Kaaba in Mecca. The qibla is marked by the mihrab. This carved niche is the central feature of mosques. Here, it is installed in the former chapel of the south aisle. Created in 1570, this magnificent mihrab is adorned with brightly-colored earthenware and paintings. Opposite the mihrab, the large balustraded platform is the dakka, a space reserved for the muezzin and important personalities. To the right of the mihrab is the minbar, the second most important element of a mosque. It is from this pulpit that the imam leads the prayer and delivers his sermon (khutba) during the great collective prayers. The minbar is also richly decorated. Finish your visit outside, by admiring the splendid buttresses of the chevet around the apse.