Haydar Pasha Mosque

Haydar Pasha Mosque, formerly St. Catherine's Church, is a historic mosque in North Nicosia, Cyprus. It stands as the most important Gothic building in Nicosia after Ayia Sophia, the former Frankish (Latin) cathedral of the city, and has been described by Harry Charles Luke as one of the finest examples of Gothic building on the island. Though originally constructed as a church in the late 14th century, it was converted to a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of 1570. Today it functions as an art gallery while still retaining Islamic religious features.

The building was constructed in the late 14th century during Frankish rule of Cyprus, specifically in the late 1350s or early 1360s according to architectural analysis by Mihalis Olimpios, who notes that the last building to influence its architecture was Bellapais Monastery, built between 1340 and 1350. A document dated 31 March 1362 mentions the grant of indulgences to a poor hospital's chapel recently built and dedicated to St. Catherine, which scholars associate with this building's construction date. The church was dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Upon the Ottoman conquest of Nicosia in 1570, it was converted to a mosque and named after a certain Haydar Pasha. It was also historically called "Ağalar Camisi" (Mosque of the Lords), as it was frequented by the Turkish local aristocracy who lived nearby. The building was secularized and now serves cultural purposes. It previously functioned as a marriage registration office.

The building currently operates as an art gallery. While the specific scope and character of its exhibition program are not detailed in the sources, its present role as a cultural venue represents a shift from religious functions toward secular public use. The Islamic call to prayer (Adhan) is still frequently recited from the mosque's minaret, indicating a dual character that blends contemporary cultural functions with ongoing religious practice.

The mosque is located on Kirlizade Street in the northern part of Nicosia. The structure measures 18 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a two-bay nave followed by a choir bay and a polygonally closed apse. The front portal is in fine Gothic style, its arched cornice ending in a poppy-head, with a Catherine wheel above it. The west door has a marble lintel with a rose between two dragons repeated three times; a more heavily built door stands on the south side. On the right side rises a minaret, the highest in the old city after those of Ayia Sophia, converted from a small stair tower that originally led to the roof. Three Gothic windows, two divided by slender columns, occupy the space between buttresses topped with gargoyles. The interior vault is supported by two Gothic arches with simply crossed ribs; in the apse, six ribs rest on a clustered column springing from the keystone. North of the apse lies a sacristy with vaulting supported by corbels bearing finely carved human heads, above which is a lofty chamber whose lower window looks onto the main space. The mihrab and minbar are both positioned on the right. Adjoining the mosque on the left is a half-ruined building with only a few Gothic arches remaining. The interior was once whitewashed and damaged, but the whitewash was removed in the early 20th century, revealing traces of painting on the walls.

Haydar Pasha Mosque is situated in North Nicosia, on Kirlizade Street, in the northern part of the divided city. The building is secularized and currently used for cultural purposes, functioning as an art gallery. Visitors can observe its significant Gothic architectural features, including the fine portal, Gothic windows, and interior vaulting. The site retains both Christian architectural elements from its original function as St. Catherine's Church and Islamic features from its mosque conversion, including a functioning minbar, mihrab, and minaret from which the Adhan is still frequently recited.