Foreign Ministry condemns damage to Hagia Sofia’s Imperial Gate
The Foreign Ministry in Athens expressed its “disgust and sadness” on Tuesday following reports of the “vandalism” of the Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
“We call on the competent authorities to do what is necessary to bring those responsible to justice as well as to immediately repair the damage to the monument,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Twitter, the Turkish Art History Union posted a photograph of the damage to the 15th-century door.
According to the tweet, the head of security on duty at the UNESCO World Heritage Site said: “Don’t worry, this can be fixed.”
The Imperial Gate is the main entrance to what was the most important church in the Byzantine Empire and was originally exclusively used by the emperor.
According to tradition, the doors were made with oak from Noah’s ark.
