Hagia Eirene Church

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Turkish name: Hagia Eirene Kilisesi

Hagia Eirene Church is a former Eastern Orthodox church located at the First Courtyard of Topkapi palace . The church measures 100m x 32m and is in the form of a Roman basilica . It is believed that it stands in place of a Pre-Christian temple and is considered the first church built in Constantinople (city of Istanbul today) . It was built in the 4th century under the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine I . The church was burned down in 532 during the Nike revolt , however it was restored again in 548 by Emperor Justinian I .

The church was the church of the Patriarchate before Hagia Sophia was built in 537 . In the 8th century , an earthquake hit the city and as a consequence , the church was heavily damaged . It was repaired and restored again soon by Emperor Constantine V as well as being decorated with mosaics and frescoes . It is that repairing works which largely gave it its present form , along with some enlargement of the church that took place in the 11th and 12th centuries . The church is also considered the only one in the city that retains its original atrium .

Hagia Eirene is separated from Hagia Sophia by the walls of Topkapi Palace . It consists of a nave and two aisles which are divided by columns . There are a main space , a narthex , galleries and an atrium . The dome has twenty windows and measures 15m wide and 35m high . During Ottoman period , the main area of the church was entered from a door with arcades that opened towards the north and covered with a dome . Over the side naves , there are gallery floors . At the apse of the church , there is an extraordinary gold mosaic of a cross with a pedestal , the mosaics of which are from Iconoclasm period (726-843) and is considered the only ornament that has survived till today from the original structure of the church .

The church is now left to the administration of Hagia Sophia Museum Management . It was repaired and is serving as a concert hall for classical music concerts since 1973 and many of the concerts of the Istanbul International Music Festival have been held every summer since 1980 , as the place has an extraordinary acoustic characteristics and an exciting atmosphere .

The Turkish haute couture designer Faruk Saraç held a fascinating show here in 2000 where there were collection of 700 designed pieces related to the Ottoman sultans , including the robes of 36 sultans ranging from the founder Osman Gazi to Sultan Vahdettin , the last sultan . There was accompanying music during the show as well as the story of the sultans' lives and demonstrations of dancing style from Ottoman-era .
The place is open every day except Monday , but requires special permission for admission .