Church of St. Nicholas (Kavala)
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The Church of Saint Nicholas ( Greek Ναός Αγίου Νικολάου Καβάλας ) is a church belonging to the Eparchy of Philippos, Neapolis and Thasos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the city of Kavala in Greece . It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas .
It is believed that the apostle Paul entered this place. The current building was built in 1530 as a mosque on the site of a Christian basilica, which was probably dedicated to Saint Lazarus . The mosque was named Ibrahim Pascha Mosque after the Grand Vizier Pargali Damat Ibrahim Pascha . As the central mosque of the old town, it was surrounded by a complex with a caravanserai , a medrese and shops. The following inscription was written in Arabic on the entrance facing the qibla :
"Kad emere bina-i hazel cami'ü'ş-şerîf İbrahim Paşa Vezirü'l-a'zam li'l-Hakani'l-muazzam es-sultan Suleyman bin es-sultan Selim bin es-sultan Bayezid Han Halledallahü mülkehü ve ebbede saltanatahu ila yevmüddin. Etemme imaretehu asıfü'l-İslâm ve naşrul Abidîn Kale el-müverrih fi tarihihi Camiü'l-ebrar darü's-salihin. "
After the liberation of Northern Greece and the departure of the Muslim population, the mosque was abandoned. From 1926 to 1927 it was converted into a church and consecrated in 1945. The mihrab and minbar were removed and a bell tower was built on the base of the minaret . In 2000 a Paul monument was added.
Web links
- BAKİ SARISAKAL: KAVALA MAKTUL İBRAHİM PAŞA CAMİSİ. Retrieved October 16, 2016 (Turkish).
- Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Νικολάου. Ιερά Μητρόπολη Φιλίππων, Νεαπόλεως και Θάσου, accessed November 20, 2014 .
Coordinates: 40 ° 56 ′ 10 ″ N , 24 ° 24 ′ 48 ″ E