Evaluating Repairs and Interventions of the Fethiye Camii through the Perspective of Contemporary Conservation Ethics and Principles

Abstract

Fethiye Camii is located in Istanbul in the Fatih district amidst the historic neighborhood of Çarşamba. The current structure is comprised of the churches of the Monastery of Pammakaristos in the XIV. Regio built during the Byzantine period. From the monastery, nothing but two churches, four cisterns and a burial chamber survive. In the Ottoman rule, Pammakaristos was first in use as a monastery for nuns and a little later it was put in use as the Greek Patriarchate. At the end of the 16th century, the churches of the monastery were converted to a mosque called Fethiye to commemorate the conquest of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The monument has come to our day under this name. In 1963, a section of the monument was inaugurated as the Fethiye Museum. Fethiye Camii has possessed various identities and has served many functions and communities over time. Currently the monument presents complex problems of architectural history and conservation. Multiple repairs throughout its long history have resulted in various transformations in its physical appearance. The very recent restoration work begun in the museum section in April 2018 has demonstrated the necessity of evaluating the monument’s state of preservation. This article examines its past repairs according to internationally accepted values and puts a special emphasis on 20th century repairs.

Keywords

• Constantinople,Istanbul,Middle and Late Byzantine Period Churches,Fethiye Camii and Museum,Pammakaristos Monastery Churches,Preservation,Conservation,repair,Intervention,Contemporary principles of conservation

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