Kastoria: The Kursum mosque acquires the glamour of the past – Restoration and promotion work by the Ministry of Culture

She prides herself on her beauties, as well as her archaeological heritage as Kursum is. In the Kursum mosque, which carries in the “spracenae” of the history of centuries, the Ministry of Culture proceeds to interventions, rehabilitation and promotion with a view to its future operation and utilization. CORVERSE As stated by the Ministry of Culture, the project, a budget of 1,000,000 euros, is under way and progresses with the installation of a glass floor to protect and view the underlying architectural remains of a Byzantine temple, the installation of lighting for the monument and electromechanical installations. The “Kursum Mosque” or “Kursulu Mosque” dates around the end of the 15th, with early 16th century and is located in Alexander the Great Square, in the historical center of the city. With the approval of the architectural and static study, in 2021, the work of restoration and promotion of the monument joined the Recovery and Durability Fund with a timetable of completion at the end of 2025. ADVERSE “The Kursum Mosque, a typical example of the provincial religious buildings of the Ottoman period in the Balkans, was originally in the historical urban fabric of Kastoria. Today, after the alteration of the figure of the old city and the intense reconstruction of the decades ’60-’70, the monument is compressed into a small plateau surrounded by modern buildings and multi-storey buildings. Kursum Mosque is the only surviving mosque in Kastoria, one of the most important monuments of the architectural heritage of Ottoman rule, along with the mendrese and the bath,” Culture Minister Lena Mendoni said. And fill out: “In the restoration work of the mosque, the remains of an old Christian basilica were revealed. After Ottoman conquest, the mosque is founded on the natural rock and on the basilica, the building material of which was used for its construction. From fragments of marble columns, found on an adjacent plot, it is assumed that at the site of the Byzantine church there was an ancient temple. And in this case the historical time span is documented, which also creates in the case of Kastoria a valuable archaeological palimpsisto. This is why the rendering to visitors of the few remains of the underlying Christian church is extremely important and aims to create an interactive field of experience to understand the individual historical phases of the wider area, through the narrative that shaped the monuments themselves. Upon completion of the project the city is assigned a place of culture universally accessible.” As the Ministry of Culture informs, significant findings were revealed within the tomb shell, about 1 m deep, from the entrance level. From findings, such as the attached inscription of the early Christian times and other marble members at the base of the minaret, it appears that the Mosque was erected on the foundations of a Byzantine temple. Parts of the natural rock on which the mosque was founded, many tombs of the 13th-14th century, movable findings including coins, knots, glass fragments etc., foundations of an older building, fragmentary sections of three brick floors. According to the excavation data and the study of the findings, it is estimated that the middle aisle of a three-aisled basilica was revealed inside the mosque. After this, the planned ceramic floor with glass is replaced, in order to keep the findings visible, highlighting the oldest layers of the history of the area, before the building of the monument itself, enriching its historical and archaeological value, while strengthening its future use, as a cultural event area, as foreseen by the restoration and reuse study. The findings remain visible within the mosque and are displayed aesthetically with appropriate lighting. According to the lighting study of the monument, the needs are distinguished in internal and external promotion lighting, and in functional lighting for cultural events. The monument, for many years, operated as a library. It was then converted into a warehouse of antiquities by the Ephorate concerned. At the end of the year, it is attributed to the citizens and visitors of Kastoria as a major cultural site.