A rebuilding program aimed to reconvert the iconic Hagia Sophia Orthodox Cathedral, in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, from a museum, its current state, into a Muslim mosque, has been blocked by a first instance administrative court in eastern Turkey.
An announcement issued by a local chamber of commerce called for the Cathedral to remain as a museum, so visitors could view the rare religious frescoes on the cathedral’s walls and other treasures of Orthodox ecclesiastical art.