ABSTRACT
This chapter takes on a different approach than two since terminology raises fewer issues with regard to churches or other religious edifices regulated in the capitulations. The Ottomans inherited the Islamic policy of banning the building of any newnon-Muslim places of worship, though the ones erected before a region came under Muslim rule could continue to function. The 'ahdnames issued to Poland-Lithuania following the conquest of Podolia brought never-before-seen regulations concerning church ownership. Abiding by the Islamic principles exposed at the beginning of this chapter, the clauses invariably specify that repairs must preserve the ancient shape of the building, as required by the Sharia. Precisely, it addressed an issue where local officials would conduct multiple inspections over the course of one year and they would fine the Catholic monks in Jerusalem by claiming that they had brought 'clandestine repairs' to churches and other pilgrimage sites under their administration. .
