Selimiye Mosque is the former Cathedral of Saint Sophia converted into a mosque in 1570. It has historically been the main mosque on the island. The Selimiye Mosque is housed in the largest and oldest surviving Gothic church in Cyprus possibly constructed on the site of an earlier Byzantine church.

Already the Knights Templar may have made some effort for the construction of a new cathedral during their rule in 1191 and 1192. Under the early years of the reign of Archbishop Eustorge de Montaigu (reigned 1217 - 1250), the construction is thought to have accelerated. Some sources claim that the arrival of Louis IX of France in 1248 for the Seventh Crusade gave a boost to the construction. By the end of the 13th century the side aisles and a large part of the middle aisle were completed.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the cathedral was damaged twice by earthquakes. In 1326, the cathedral was finally consecrated. During Lusignan rule, the cathedral served as the coronation church of the kings of Cyprus. It also housed the Trials of the Knights Templar in 1310.

Even though the cathedral was inaugurated, the building was still incomplete and in 1347 Pope Clement IV issued a papal bull for the cathedral to be completed and renovated since it had been affected by an earthquake. However, this effort did not achieve its aim. The portico and the northwest tower were constructed at this time and the three gates of the western wall were embellished.

In 1491 another earthquake severely damaged the cathedral. The Venetian Senate ordered the repair which took two decades.

During the Ottoman siege of the city in 1570, the cathedral provided refuge for a great number of people. When the city fell the bishop of Paphos, delivered the last Christian sermon in the building, in which he asked for divine help. The cathedral was stormed by Ottoman soldiers, who broke the door and killed the bishop among others. The interior was washed then to make it ready for the first Friday prayer. During the same year, the two minarets were added.


Seen to the right is the Bedesten, a former Byzantine church which was later converted into a market.