Bedesten, Nicosia

The front façade of Bedesten

Bedesten or Bedestan, formerly known as the Church of St Nicholas, is a historical building in the Selimiye quarter of North Nicosia. Originally built as a church in the 6th century and expanded in the 12th and 14th centuries, it was converted to a bedesten, a type of covered market, during the Ottoman rule and is currently used as a cultural center. It is next to the Selimiye Mosque, being located to its northwest.[1]

History

A drawing of Bedesten in 1881
The interior of Bedesten before a cultural event

The earliest parts of the Bedesten were initially a Byzantine basilica, built in the 6th century. In late 12th century, English monks that were followers of Thomas Becket established a new church upon this church, and dedicated this Catholic church to St Nicholas.[2] In the 14th century, during the Lusignan rule, a new church was built upon the remains of this church. During the Venetian rule of the island, it was used as the metropolitan bishopric building by the Orthodox church,[1] and dedicated to Mary with the name Panagia Hadegetria.[2]

In 1573, a few years after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the building was given by the Ottoman authorities to the foundation of Haramayn, that of the two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, to be used as a bedesten (a covered textile market). It was later used as a market for food, and by the 1760s it was a food trading center for Turkish, Greek and Armenian merchants alike. By 1873, it had been converted into a flour depot with limited sale of flour, which was brought from Kythrea, by governmental officials. It was then used as a wheat depot in the 1870s and a generic storage place for the Evkaf Administration in the 1930s.[3]

In the 1880s, the first years of British colonial rule, Lord Kitchener and other prominent British men in Cyprus wanted to buy or rent the building to convert it back to a church and use it as the Church of St Nicholas once again. This was not allowed as the property of a foundation could not be sold and a shrine of another religion could not be opened within 100 yards of a mosque. The British undertook some renovation of the building, which had been damaged due to weather and earthquakes, but this was not successful in that it did not reflect some of the original architecture. With the opening of the new municipal market, Bandabulya, in 1932, the building fell into disuse.[2]

Renovation and current use

Between June 2004 and 2009, a project of renovation, funded by the European Union and the Evkaf Administration, was undertook by the UNDP PFF. During the restoration, the walls of the building were cleansed and the vaults strengthened using traditional building materials and techniques. Upon the completion of restoration, the building was reopened as a cultural center.[2] In 2009, the renovation was awarded the Europe Nostra prize. Among the activities hosted are weekly sufi dance shows.[4] The building also hosts the Nicosia Walled City Jazz Festival.[5]

Architecture

The entrance of Bedesten

The Bedesten of Nicosia is stylistically very different from other bedestens in the Ottoman Empire.[3] It consists mainly of a mix of Byzantine and Gothic architecture, the latter being added by the Lusignans, but also incorporates elements of Renaissance French, Venetian and probably Spanish architectural styles. It uses a cross-shaped structural style and layout that belongs to the Byzantine style, yet incorporates a nave with a high ceiling that belongs to the Gothic style. The southern double nave is a remnant of the Byzantine church and its middle section is the oldest part of the building. The exterior of the nave in the north has the most ornate decorations and stonework in the building. This façade is across the front arches of the Selimiye Mosque and is the side where the entrance is located. The entrance is through a very ornate Gothic-style gate, with elements of the Italian Renaissance architecture added later and a statuette of St Nicholas. Baroque coats of arms are located on both sides of the entrance. This façade also has numerous animal statuettes and gargoyles.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bedestan (St Nicholas of the English Church), Nicosia.
  1. 1 2 Bağışkan, Tuncer (21 September 2013). "Ayasofya (Selimiye) Meydanı ve Mahallesi" (in Turkish). Yeni Düzen. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bedesten" (PDF) (in Turkish). Evkaf Administration. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Bağışkan, Tuncer (8 November 2014). "Kıbrıs’ta Osmanlı – Türk Eserleri (5)" (in Turkish). Yeni Düzen. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Restoration and re-use of the Bedestan (St. Nicholas Church)". UNDP. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Lefkoşa Jazz Festivali Başlıyor" (in Turkish). Haber Kıbrıs. Retrieved 24 July 2015.

Coordinates: 35°10′34″N 33°21′51″W / 35.1761°N 33.3641°W / 35.1761; -33.3641

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