All other Byzantine churches are functioning mosques, even those that were museums until very recently.
Constantinople was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire for nearly 1000 years. Thus, the Byzantine legacy is very much visible in the city and it includes structures that I will mention in this post.
Above all that, Hagia Sophia stands as Istanbul’s best known historic site in the world. Furthermore, it’s the most visited tourist attraction in the city, more than any Ottoman era construction. Perhaps, the Blue mosque and Topkapi palace are there in the same range but only because they are so close to Hagia Sophia and people choose to see all three structures at the same time.
HAGIA SOPHIA
Built in 537, Hagia Sophia functioned as an Orthodox church for 916 years, until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Fatih Sultan Mehmed converted it into a mosque literally 3 days after he had entered the city.
Being one of the world’s greatest monuments, Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1935. That was the time after the establishment of the Turkish secular republic under the helm of the Father of the Nation – Kemal Atatürk.
Under the pretext that Hagia Sophia is a property of the Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s foundation, the authorities re-converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020. Initially the entrance was free, but they charge Euro 25 to enter into Hagia Sophia now. In my opinion, it’s either a mosque or a museum. If it’s a mosque, the fee shouldn’t be charged.
HAGIA EIRENE
You will find Hagia Eirene in the outer courtyard of the Topkapi palace. Originally built in 532, it’s the oldest Christian Orthodox church in Istanbul, although it was damaged and rebuilt several times after construction.
Remarkably, Ottomans never converted Hagia Eirene into a mosque. However, being within the walls of the Topkapi palace, Janissaries used it as a warehouse for storage and repair of military equipment. Sultan Ahmed III converted it into a National Military museum in 1726.
Hagia Eirene is a museum and concert hall today.
MONASTERY OF CHRIST PANTOKRATOR
After Hagia Sophia, the Monastery of Christ Pantokrator is the largest Byzantine church that you can see in Istanbul. It consists of two Byzantine churches and a chapel joint together. Completed before 1136, it’s the best example of middle Byzantine architecture in Constantinople.
Apart from the building, you can’t see anything from Byzantine times in this church. It’s the Zeyrek mosque today.
PAMMAKARISTOS MONASTERY
I originally went to see this church in 2019, when I started my travel around Turkey in Istanbul. At that time, they were doing restoration works and I couldn’t see anything.
I went back to see it and, as you can see, they completed the restoration works earlier this year. However, the museum located in parekklesion is closed until further notice. I assume they haven’t completed the works in the museum.
I will have to go back when I go to Istanbul next time as, actually, the museum is the most interesting part of this structure that you would want to see.
The church was built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It functioned as a Christian Orthodox church for 134 years after the conquest of Constantinople, until Sultan Murad III converted into a mosque in 1587. This is the Fethiye mosque now.
CHORA CHURCH
A remarkable fact about the Chora church is that it contains some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes that were left untouched by Ottomans despite the fact that Atik Ali Pasha converted into a mosque in 1511.
It is somewhat difficult to pinpoint the construction date of this church. The oldest structure dates from the early 4th century. However, the formidable structure that we can see today appeared in the 11th century.
Chora church became a museum in 1945. But, in 2020 they reconverted it again into a mosque. From what I read, they completed restoration works a month before my latest visit to Istanbul. This is the Kariye mosque now.
CHURCH OF SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS
Built in 536, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is only slightly older than Hagia Sophia. The Turkish name for this structure is Küçük Ayasofya Camii, which means Little Hagia Sophia.
After the conquest of Constantinople, it continued to function as a Christion Orthodox temple for 60 years. The Chief Black Eunuch Hüseyin Ağa converted into a mosque in 1513.
Apart from the building itself, there is nothing else to see from Byzantine times. Nevertheless, this 1488 years old building is immensely valuable for the world patrimony and it’s a must see.
BYZANTINE CHURCHES IN ISTANBUL
If you want to explore Byzantine heritage in Istanbul, you should definitely see these five former Byzantine churches. There are other former churches but, perhaps, there is no need to see absolutely everything. There are other Byzantine structures that you can visit. The immense Byzantine legacy still survives 571 years after the conquest.
None of these former Byzantine churches need to be mosques. There are so many mosques in Istanbul, there was certainly no need to re-convert Hagia Sophia and Chora church into mosques. In fact, they should’ve turned all of them into museums.
Having said that, it seems that the authorities have been investing considerable effort to restore and preserve this immensely valuable heritage despite the fact that it’s Christian and that the Ottoman period overshadows it.
In my next posts, I will write a bit more about these remarkable buildings as I would like to learn more about all of them.
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