| Liberation Mosque | |
|---|---|
Kurtuluş Camii | |
 Liberation Mosque in May 2009 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam, originally Christianity |
| Location | |
| Location | Şahinbey, Gaziantep Province, Turkey |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sarkis Balyan |
| Type | mosque |
| Date established | 1986 (as mosque) |
| Groundbreaking | 1892 |
| Completed | 1893 |
Liberation Mosque (Turkish: Kurtuluş Camii), formerly the St. Mary's Cathedral or Holy Mother of God Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի, romanized: Surp Asdvazdadzin Egeghetsʿi), is located in the Tepebaşı district of Şahinbey, Gaziantep in Turkey.[1][2] Initially built as an Armenian Apostolic church, it was converted into a stable after the Armenian genocide; and later, into a jail.[2] Sarkis Balyan—the Ottoman-Armenian architect serving Sultan Abdul Hamid II—designed the church. The building was constructed between 1892 and 1893, undertaken by the stonemason Sarkis Taşçıyan.[1][3] The church was part of a complex which also contained a school and the administrative buildings of the dioceses of the kaza of Antep.[4]
In 1915, almost all of the Gaziantep Armenians were deported to the Syrian desert during the genocide.[5] The church was sealed on 22 August 1915; and its sacramentals and furnishings were put in a large stable, then they were bought and sold at an auction.[1] For over three years the cathedral was used by government for military purposes.[1] Next, it was turned into a prison in the early 1920s; and served as such until the 1970s.[1][6]
The building was converted into a mosque in 1986.[2] The top half of the bell tower was demolished, the remainder converted into a single-balcony minaret. The bell, which was cast in the 19th century in South America, was taken to Gaziantep Museum.[citation needed]
After renovation, the mosque reopened on 17 June 2017.[1]
During the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, its dome and minarets collapsed.[7]
- ^ a b c d e f Korucu, Serdar (24 June 2017). "Antep'te 'Kilise Olarak Yapılan Cami': Kurtuluş Camii" ['The Mosque Built as a Church' in Antep: Kurtuluş Mosque]. Biamag (in Turkish). Istanbul. Bianet. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Fisk, Robert (2016-10-15). "A beautiful mosque and the dark period of the Armenian genocide". The Independent. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
- ^ Thomas A. Sinclair: Eastern Turkey. An Architectural and Archaeological Survey. volume 4. The Pindar Press, London 1990, p. 111
- ^ Osman Koker, "Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago", Istanbul 2005, p267.
- ^ Akçam, Taner (2012). The Young Turks' Crime Against Humanity the Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-1400841844.
- ^ Ungor, Ugur; Polatel, Mehmet (2011). Confiscation and Destruction: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property. A&C Black. p. 82. ISBN 978-1441130556.
- ^ Boncuk, Mehmet. "Tarihi cami depremde hasar gördü". Sabah. Retrieved 8 February 2023.