The Church-Mosque of Ulcinj (
Montenegrin: ''Crkva-Džamija''; sq, Kishë-Xhamia), also called Imperial Mosque, Halil Skura Mosque,
Kalaja Mosque or Church of St. Maria is a former church and mosque located in
Ulcinj,
Montenegro.
History
During the rule of the
Venetians the Church of St. Maria was built in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
in 1510, which was turned into a mosque, Mosque of the
Sultan Selim II as soon as the Turks conquered Ulcinj in 1571. It used to be the so-called ''Xhamia Mbretrore'' – Imperial Mosque, as it did not have any
Wakf from which it could have been financed at the beginning, so that its employees were paid from the
state budget.
Hajji Halil Skura added a minaret in 1693 made of nicely cut stone, in the lower part, on a rectangular base, which was made narrower on top. The religious purpose of this mosque ended in 1880, when the
Montenegrins conquered
Ulcinj. This religious building also had a ''
maktab''. All the Ulcinj reises (captains) would gather there when an important decision had to be made.
Tvrđava u Ulcinju
waytomonte.com]
This building is the most beautiful monument incorporating a combination of the West and the East in the architecture of Ulcinj. It hosts the town museum.
References
{{coord, 41.9246, N, 19.2013, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Mosques in Ulcinj
Mosques converted from churches in the Ottoman Empire
Ulcinj
Church-Mosques