Haggia Eirene
Hagia Eirene - Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Eirene is contemporary with the more famous Hagia Sophia (actually a little older than Hagia Sophia). Commissioned by Emperor Constantine I and built between 532 and 548 AD. It is the oldest church in Istanbul and the only Byzantine era church never converted to a mosque. It was damaged by earthquake in 740 and restored. When Mehmet II conquered Constantinople in 1453 AD, the church was used as a warehouse and included in the Topkapi Palace grounds. Today the church is a museum and concert hall and is still within the Topkapi grounds.
Hagia Eirene is one of three churches built in Constantinople in this early Byzantine era named after attributes of God: Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), Holy Peace (Hagia Eirene), and Hagia Dynamis (Holy Power). Hagia Dynamis is lost to us.
Hagia Eirene is built in the Roman Basilica plan with a central nave and 2 side aisles. The apse has an intact synthronon ( a term I’d never heard before!) - 6 tiered semicircular benches lining the apse. Above the apse is a mosaic of a Roman style cross. On the Bema arch around the cross there are two inscriptions. The inner inscription is from Psalm 64 and the outer inscription is from Amos.
Our other photos show some of decorative columns, the dome, the narthex, the entrance to the courtyard and the entrance to the upper levels.
