Hagia Irene ( el, Αγία Ειρήνη) or Hagia Eirene ( grc-x-byzant, Ἁγία Εἰρήνη , "Holy Peace", tr, Aya İrini), sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

church located in the outer courtyard of

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the complet ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

. It is the oldest known church in Istanbul and the only Byzantine church in Istanbul that has not been converted into a mosque, as it was used as an arsenal for storing weapons until the 19th century. The Hagia Irene today operates as a museum and concert hall.

Naming

The church was dedicated to the peace of God, and is one of the three shrines which emperors devoted to God's attributes, together with

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

(Wisdom) and Hagia Dynamis.Janin, pg. 106

History

Arsenal

After the

Ottoman conquest of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

in 1453 by Mehmed II, the church was enclosed inside the walls of the Topkapi palace. The Janissaries used the church as an arsenal (''Cebehane'') until 1826. It was also used as a warehouse for military equipment and repository for trophies of arms and military regalia taken by the Turks. During the reign of Sultan

Ahmet III Ahmed III ( ota, احمد ثالث, ''Aḥmed-i sālis'') was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–1687). His mother was Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at ...

(1703–1730) it was converted into the National Military Museum in 1726. In 1846, Marshal of the Imperial Arsenal,

Ahmed Fethi Paşa Rodosizade Ahmed Fethi Pasha (born 1801 in Rhodes – died 1858 in Istanbul, Constantinople), was an Ottoman marshal, ambassador and industrialist, who belonged to the Turks of the Dodecanese. Career Prior to becoming a Field marshal, Marshal, ...

, made the church a military antiques museum. It was used as the Military Museum from 1908 until 1978 when it was then turned over to the

Turkish Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture and Tourism ( tr, Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı) is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for culture and tourism affairs in Turkey. Revolving fund management of the ministry is carried by DÖSİ ...

Concert hall

Today, the Hagia Irene serves mainly as a concert hall for classical music performances, due to its extraordinary acoustic characteristics and impressive atmosphere. Many of the concerts of the

Istanbul International Music Festival The Istanbul International Music Festival, formerly Istanbul Festival, ( tr, Uluslararası İstanbul Müzik Festivali) is a cultural event held every June and July in Istanbul, Turkey. It offers a selection of European classical music, ballet, opera ...

have been held here every summer since 1980. In 2000, the Turkish haute couture designer

Faruk Saraç Farooq (also transliterated as Farouk, Faruqi, Farook, Faruk, Faroeq, Faruq, or Farouq, Farooqi, Faruque or Farooqui; ar, فاروق, Fārūq) is a common Arabic given and family name. ''Al-Fārūq'' literally means "the one who distinguishes b ...

produced a special show here. A collection of 700 designed pieces inspired by the Ottoman sultans, including the robes of 36 sultans ranging from

Osman Gazi Osman I or Osman Ghazi ( ota, عثمان غازى, translit= ʿOsmān Ġāzī; tr, I. Osman or ''Osman Gazi''; died 1323/4), sometimes transliterated archaically as Othman, was the founder of the Ottoman Empire (first known as the Ottoman Bey ...

, the founder of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to the last sultan, Mehmed VI, were on display. The show was accompanied by music and the story of the sultans' lives and demonstrations of Ottoman-era dancing. For many years, the Hagia Irene was only accessible during events or by special permission, but the museum has been open to the public every day except Tuesday since January 2014.

Structure

Church architecture

The building reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. It ranks as the first church completed in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, before Hagia Sophia, during its transformation from a Greek trading colony to the eastern capital of the Roman Empire. According to later tradition, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

emperor

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

commissioned the first Hagia Irene church in the 4th century, which was completed by the end of his reign (337). It served as the church of the

Patriarchate Patriarchate ( grc, πατριαρχεῖον, ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch. According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were est ...

before

was completed in 360 under

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...

. During the

Nika revolt The Nika riots ( el, Στάσις τοῦ Νίκα, translit=Stásis toû Níka), Nika revolt or Nika sedition took place against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople over the course of a week in 532 AD. They are often regarded as the ...

in 532, Hagia Irene was burned down. Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...

had the church rebuilt in 548. It was then damaged again by the

740 Constantinople earthquake The 740 Constantinople earthquake took place on 26 October, 740, in the vicinity of Constantinople and the Sea of Marmara. Antonopoulos, 1980 In Constantinople, the earthquake caused the collapse of many public buildings. The Walls of Constantinop ...

on October 20, 740, about six months before the death of Leo III. The Emperor

Constantine V Constantine V ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantīnos; la, Constantinus; July 718 – 14 September 775), was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able ...

ordered the restorations and had its interior decorated with

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s and frescoes. Some restorations from this time have survived to the present. Reconstruction during the reign of

shows change in the architecture of the

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

and narthex, which stayed intact after the earthquake. Restoration after the earthquake created a stronger foundation for the church. Before being rebuilt, the foundation had significant structural problems. This restoration established a cross-domed plan on the gallery level while still being able to keep the original basilica plan at the ground level. The narthex can be found to the west, preceded by the atrium, and then the apse on the east side. Hagia Irene still holds its dome and has peaked roofs on the north, west, and south sides of the church. The dome itself is 15m wide and 35m high and has twenty windows. Hagia Irene has the typical form of a Roman

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

, consisting of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and two

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

s, which are divided by three pairs of piers. This helps support the galleries above the narthex. Semicircular arches are also attached to the capitals which also helps give support to the galleries above.

Art inside the church

In Byzantine tradition, there is a unique vestige of the

Iconoclastic Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

art within the church. The apse semidome and the bema arch are covered with mosaics. There are also the frescoes which can be found on the south side aisle. These mosaics date back to about the 8th century. This was during the time of the earthquake which most of the upper parts of the church can date back to. There is also a mosaic of a cross, which is outlined in black with a gold ground. The ends are flared along with having teardrop shapes at the end. This extends around the base of the semidome. The cross was put in during the reconstruction by Constantine V, which was during the Iconoclastic years. On the bema arch there is an inscription of Psalm 64 verses 4–5 on the inner side, and then on the outer side there is an inscription of Amos 6 verse 6. There is evidence of alterations on these inscriptions as well. The inscriptions detail a praise to the church as it is the house of the lord. The verses, especially the Psalm, were used as inspiration for some of the mosaics in

. Hagia Irene also holds a

synthronon ''Synthronon'' ( el, σύνθρονον; plural: σύνθρονα, ''synthrona'') is a semicircular tiered structure at the back of the altar in the liturgical apse of an Eastern Orthodox church that combines benches reserved for the clergy, with t ...

. Synthronons are rows of built benches that are arranged in a semicircle in the apse. During Divine Liturgy this is where the clergy would sit. This is the only synthronon that has survived in the city from the Byzantine era. The synthronon in Hagia Irene has six tiers of seats. There are doors at both side that open up into an ambulatory beneath the fourth tier of seats.

Cross on the dome

The cross on top of the dome has been replaced by the conquering Ottomans with the symbol of Turkish Islam, the crescent moon.

Gallery

Image:Hagia Eirene Constantinople 2007.jpg, The

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

of the church with cross Image:Constantinople Hagia Eirene.png, Ground plan of the church Image:Ottoman helmet made in Saint Irene arsenal Constantinople circa 1520.jpg, Ottoman helmet, with markings of Saint-Irene arsenal,

, circa 1520.

Musée de l'Armée The Musée de l'Armée (; "Army Museum") is a national military museum of France located at Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is served by Paris Métro stations Invalides, Varenne and La Tour-Maubourg The Musée de l'Armée ...

. Image:Hagia Irene with Hagia Sophia at the back, İstanbul.JPG, Hagia Irene with

at the back File:Church of St Irene 9060.jpg, Church of St Irene roof from afar File:Church of St Irene 5762.jpg, Church of St Irene exterior from west File:Church of St Irene 5760.jpg, Church of St Irene exterior File:Church of St Irene 7532.jpg, Church of St Irene exterior File:Church of St Irene 5534.jpg, Church of St Irene exterior File:Church of St Irene 1018.jpg, Church of St Irene interior File:Church of St Irene 0914.jpg, Church of St Irene interior File:Church of St Irene 0990.jpg, Church of St Irene apse File:Church of St Irene 0913.jpg, Church of St Irene interior File:Church of St Irene 0993.jpg, Church of St Irene narthex File:Church of St Irene 1982.jpg, Church of St Irene narthex File:Church of St Irene 1984.jpg, Church of St Irene atrium seen from narthex File:Church of St Irene 0999.jpg, Church of St Irene atrium File:Church of St Irene 1016.jpg, Church of St Irene interior File:Church of St Irene 1004.jpg, Church of St Irene capital

References

Bibliography

* * Bogdanovic Jelena, "Hagia Eirene", 2008, ''Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Constantinople'' * * Freely, John; Cakmak, Ahmet (2004). ''Byzantine Monuments of Istanbul''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 136–143.
"Irene, Church of Saint – Oxford Reference"
doi: 10.1093/acref/9780195046526.001.0001/acref-9780195046526-e-2506. * * * * * Millingen, Alexander Van, Ramsey Traquair, Walter S. George, and Arthur e. Henderson. ''Byzantine churches in Constantinople: their history and architecture.'' London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1912. Print. * Musilek, Josef, Lubos Podolka, and Monika Karkova, "The Unique Construction of the Church of Hagia Irene in Istanbul for The Teaching of Byzantine Architecture." ''Priced Engineering,'' 161 (2016): 1745–750. Web. * Pyhrr, Stuart (1989). "European Armor from the Imperial Ottoman Arsenal". ''Metropolitan Museum Journal''. 24: 85–116

External links

Byzantium 1200 , Hagia Eirene

Over 100 pictures inside and out
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istanbul, Hagia Irene 4th-century churches 540s in the Byzantine Empire 6th-century churches Byzantine sacred architecture Fatih Church buildings with domes Former churches in Turkey

Hagia Irene Hagia Irene ( el, Αγία Ειρήνη) or Hagia Eirene ( grc-x-byzant, Ἁγία Εἰρήνη , "Holy Peace", tr, Aya İrini), sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is an Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palac ...

Topkapı Palace 548