Samatya - St. John Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was part of the Monastery of Stoudios, also known as the Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, located in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). The monastery was founded in the mid-5th century and became an important center of monastic and intellectual activity in the Byzantine Empire, known for its strict adherence to monastic rule and intellectual pursuits.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, originally built in the 5th century, was destroyed several times throughout history and the remaining building was converted into a mosque by an Ottoman military commander and governor named İmrahor İlyas Bey. Despite suffering destruction and damage over the centuries, the monastery continued to function until the 20th century. Today, only a few ruins of the original monastery complex remain in Istanbul, including the surviving Church of Saint John the Forerunner, which is now a mosque.