Byzantine Churches Converted into Mosques as Described in the Notes of Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky

The travelogue of Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky about his wanderings in the Ottoman Empire, contains many descriptions of mosques that were previously Orthodox Christian churches, including Byzantine-time ones. The analysis of the text allows us to divide these buildings into three groups. The first one includes huge cathedrals that were converted into mosques with a greater or lesser degree of alteration to their original structure, with Christian access limited or prohibited. The second group also includes former Christian churches, available for the Christians, including visiting and even holding liturgies. The third group includes mosques that Barsky only mentions without describing in detail. Therefore, in the Ottoman Empire in the first half of the 18th century, there was a dual attitude towards Christian churches that were rebuilt or transformed into mosques. Those that played an important role in the religious life of Muslims were guarded from infidels, while others, which were also important Christian sacred sites, were available to believers in their original form. The purpose of Barsky’s listing of all such objects may have been an attempt to determine the real number of Christian shrines in the East, possibly with the far-reaching goal of returning them to the Christians. Detailed descriptions of these architectural monuments, often accompanied by drawings, make Barsky's travel notes a valuable source on the history of the Byzantine heritage and its use beyond the history of the Byzantine Empire.