The Hagia Irini church which comes from the
Byzantine period stands in the courtyard of
Topkapı Palace. This
church is the second biggest
Byzantine church after
Hagia Sofia that survived until the present day. The church was built by the
Byzantine Emperor Lustiniaus I by early IVth Century (360) AD. It has a special layout which represents the transition to closed
Hellenistic cross form from the domed basilica form. On the northwest there stands a two storey narthex and next to it a two storey atrium. It is known that the
Hagia Irını Church was constructed onto the remains of
Roman temples. No embellishment other than the huge cross on a golden background inside the semi-dome of the apsis and greek inscription aside has survived until today. The original version of the title
Hagia Irıni is “
Hagia Eirene” . These words mean
Holy Piece and are known as the name of a saint as well. The church which was damaged by several earthquakes and fires has been restored three times throughout the history. The church was first restorated in 1840 by
Fossatiler. It is known that the church which was not turned to a mosque and the orginal state of which was maintained during the
Ottoman Empire was used as a booty and weapon warehouse .
Hagia Irini at the same time is the first museum of the
Ottoman Period. In the year 1869 it was named
Müze-i Hümayun (
Museum of the Empire) Due to the insufficiency of exhibition spaces inside the church the opuses displayed here have been moved to
Çinili Köşk in the year 1875. The church has been used as a military museum from 1880 to 1940. At the present day
Hagia Irini hosts many concerts and artistic events. The church may be visited by obtaining permission from the Museum Management of
Hagia Sophia.
