After Hagia Sophia, Turkey's historic Chora church also switched to mosque

FILE PHOTO: Turkish police officers stand guard atop the Kariye (Chora) museum, the 11th century church of St. Savior, during a visit by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in Istanbul, November 28, 2007. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas/File Photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reconverted the historic Chora church, one of Istanbul's most celebrated Byzantine buildings, into a mosque on Friday, a month after opening the famed Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship.

The mediaeval Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, built near the ancient city walls of Constantinople, contains 14th century Byzantine mosaics and frescoes showing scenes from biblical stories.