Architectural analysis of transformation of churches converted to mosques in Trabzon after the Ottoman conquest

Cities are ruled by societies with different religions and cultures in the historical process. The population living or brought to the city has different beliefs. Depending on the change of demographic structure, differences occur in residential areas. They made spatial changes in existing religious buildings to perform their worship. Depending on the conquest and settlement policy in Trabzon city, Fatih Sultan Mehmet converted Panagia Chrysocephalos Church, the biggest church of the city, into the mosque in 1461 after he added Trabzon to the Ottoman lands. While the families brought from Anatolia were placed around the castle and in Ortahisar District, the Christian population remained outside the walls. Over time, the Christian neighborhoods have turned into Muslim neighborhoods with the changing demographic structure. While the newly built neighborhoods are also building religious places needed, religious buildings in the neighborhoods where the Christian population lived before the conquest were converted from a church or a chapel to a mosque.The aim of this study is to determine the reflection of the changing demographic structure to the urban space after Trabzon came under Ottoman rule and the changes in the reuse of religious structures in the Ottoman period by changing their functions. After 1461, 7 churches were converted into mosques until 1665. These are Panagia Chrysocephalos Church (Cami-i Atik, Ortahisar Fatih Mosque), St. Eugenios Church (Cami-i Cedid, Yeni Cuma), Kemerkaya Chapel (Masjid-i Sarmaşık, Kemerkaya Sarmaşıklı Mosque), St. St. Sophia Church (Cami-i Ayasofya, Ayasofya Mosque), St. St. Andrea Church (Molla Black Mosque), Kindinar Neighborhood Chapel (Fatih Küçük Mosque), St. Philip Church (Kudrettin Mosque). Within the scope of the study, a literature search was conducted on the transformation processes of religious buildings and changes made in the historical process. The locations of religious buildings were identified and displayed on maps. Religious structures and reflections of the Christian and Muslim population in the city of Trabzon were investigated.It is aimed to reveal the original architecture of the determined buildings in the period when they were first built (church period), the architecture in the process of change (mosque period) and the features of today's architecture. The plans, sections, façade changes and other existing changes were identified and expressed in drawings and visual materials. Keywords: Mosque, Functional Change, Church, Change, Ottoman, Re-use, Trabzon