Yeni Mosque - Bitola
Yeni or New Mosque was built in 1558/59 by Qadi Mehmed Efendi who was a Bitola qadi (judge) in 1551-1552.
Although smaller than the neighbouring Ishak Mosque, what sets this mosque apart from the rest in the Balkans is its interior. On the inner portal there are faience tiles with unique works of art, probably from the Far East. The interior, especially in the pulpit and the corners on all sides contain a kind of so-called stalactites which are brilliantly executed, probably by masters from Istanbul, and what is most unusual with elements and certain associations that carry certain close lines and volumes of Gothic architecture. The overall interior of the Yeni Mosque is still a secret that has not been deciphered enough, created by the most prominent builders of Constantinople.
In addition to this, it is important to keep in mind the work of painters, who worked in impeccable calligraphic style, probably also from Constantinople, because most of the calligraphic painting elements have their analogy with the most prominent mosques in the capital. Every sign, every calligraphic line is a kind of quotation, symbolic and stylized in the Qur’an.
Then and now
Yeni Mosque is a monument that has its own relations with the most prominent architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire.
The Yeni Mosque was used as a religious building until World War II and was later adapted into an art gallery. Today, the site is an archeological site where the foundations of three Christian churches are being excavated.
