The most striking building in Nicosia's northern half is neither a mosque nor a cathedral in any simple sense, but the collision of both. The Cathedral of Saint Sophia was built between 1209 and 1326, a soaring French Gothic structure in the Champagne tradition, and served as the coronation church of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus. When the Ottomans took the city in 1570, they converted it to a mosque within days, whitewashing the interior, removing the Gothic decoration, and planting two minarets on the western facade towers.
The result is architecturally fascinating. Entering through the Gothic doorways and finding a white, stripped interior with carpets and a mihrab is deeply disorienting in the best possible way. The proportions of the nave are genuinely impressive; the Gothic stonework of the exterior, partially restored, shows the skill of 14th-century Cypriot craftsmen working in a thoroughly French style. The mosque is an active place of worship, accessible to visitors outside prayer times. Non-Muslims should dress conservatively and remove shoes at the entrance. It stands in the centre of North Nicosia and requires a passport crossing at the Ledra Street checkpoint to visit from the south.