Fatih Mosque (Amsterdam)
The Fatih Mosque ( Dutch : Fatih mosque ) is a mosque established in 1981 on Rozengracht in the Centrum district of Amsterdam . Until 1971 the Catholic Church Sint-Ignatiuskerk , also called De Zaaier ( The Sower ), was located here . Since the building and the former rectory are still intact, they were viewed as representatives of the construction period of the 1920s and entered on Amsterdam's city list of monuments.
building
In 1899 the socialist club house Constantia of the Free Socialist Workers Movement ( Vrije Socialistische Arbeidersbewegung ) was bought up; It was here that the politician Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis gave his anarchist speeches. A church minister bought the building during an auction held because of a mortgage debt and sold it to the De Zaaier church council.
"De Zaaier" was a Schuilkerk ("hidden church") founded by Jesuits in the Rozengracht from the 17th century. This was from 1663 in the attic of the house De Sayer in the Keizersgracht . The name of this house was eventually transferred to the new church on Rozengracht.
The St. Ignatius Church was built on the site of Constantia and put into operation in 1929. The church was designed by Hendrik Willem Valk , has space for 600 worshipers and the height of the twin towers is 40 meters. It was run by Jesuit fathers and was dedicated to the founder of the order, St. Ignatius of Loyola .
The church was last used for Roman Catholic services in 1971. In 1974 it became a carpet and music hall until the building was acquired by the Islamic Foundation Fatih ( Islamitische Stichting Nederland Fatih Amsterdam ) in 1981 and turned into a mosque. Since then, the building has officially been named Fatih Mosque, named after the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II.
The change from church to mosque brought about some changes within the building. The Islamic direction of prayer is opposite to that of the original building. During the prayer, therefore, those present turn to the former main entrance, where the mihrab is now installed; above it is a calligraphy with the name of Allah (Arabic الله). Due to this change, one enters the prayer room through a small side entrance. There are a few shops in the former main entrance. On the outside, the most noticeable change is the exchange of crosses with crescent moons on the towers.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 22 ′ 23 " N , 4 ° 52 ′ 43.2" E