Fethiye Museum
If you are fan of 14th century frescoes, Chora Museum and Fethiye Museum, which were former churches that were converted into mosques, and then to museums, should be on your to-do list. Fethiye Museum was the Pammakaristos Monastery which was built between the eleventh and the twelfth centuries, and after the conquest it was the seat of the Christian Orthodox Patriarchate from 1455 to 1587. During the reign of Sultan Murad III the church was converted into a mosque and named Fethiye Mosque, meaning “mosque of the conquest”, to commemorate Sultan Murat III’s victories in Georgia and Azerbaijan. After the foundation of the republic, a part of the mosque was turned into Fethiye Museum after being repaired in 1938-1940. Actually only a small chapel has been restored, which is now the museum part of the complex as the church itself still functions as a mosque. Worth visiting for anyone who is interested in Byzantine history as its architecture remains the same as the time when it was built and the museum contains astonishing and well-preserved frescoes. The building is located in the Çarsamba neighbourhood in the district of Fatih, walking distance to Chora Church.