Starting off his third day in Türkiye on his first Apostolic Journey, Pope Leo XIV visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the “Blue Mosque.” The Mosque is one of the most important in Istanbul, and was completed in 1617 by Sultan Ahmed I on part of the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople.
Why the nickname “Blue Mosque”?
The mosque’s walls and dome interiors are covered with more than 20,000 handmade blue ceramic tiles. These tiles feature floral and geometric designs that create a striking blue glow, especially under natural light. When sunlight pours through the mosque’s 260 windows, the entire interior glows with a soft, ethereal blue light that feels almost otherworldly. That’s why 17th-century European travelers started calling it the “Blue Mosque,” and the nickname instantly stuck.
Leo is the third pope to visit the Blue Mosque. In 2014, Pope Francis spent two minutes in silent prayer while at the Blue mosque. The first pope to visit a mosque was John Paul II, who visited one in Syria in 2001.
While it is not clear whether Pope Leo XIV prayed in the mosque, the Holy See Office said,
“The Pope experienced the visit to the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.”
📸: Vatican News
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