Little Hagia Sophia
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Little Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Küçuk Ayasofya Camii), formerly the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus, is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque by the Ottomans.
It lies in Istanbul, in the district of Eminönü and in the neighbourhood of Kumkapi, at a short distance from the Marmara Sea, near the former Emperors' Palace and South of the Hippodrome. It is now separated from the sea by the railway line Sirkeci-Halkali and the coast road.
[edit] Description
The building, whose central plan resembles that of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, is made of bricks and has an irregular quadrilateral shape. It is surmounted by a beautiful dome – built with light material - which stands on eight pillars. The Narthex lies on the West side.
Inside the edifice there is a beautiful two-storey colonnade which runs along the N, W and S sides, and bears a Latin inscription, dedicated to the Emperor, his wife and Saint Sergius, the saint Patron of the soldiers of the Roman Army. The lower storey has 16 columns, the higher 18. Many of the capitals still bear the monograms of Justinian and his wife, Theodora. In front of the building there is a Portico and a court (both added during the ottoman period), with a small garden, a fountain for the ablutions and several small shops. North of the edifice there is a small Muslim cemetery and the former Baptistery.
[edit] History
The edifice was built between the years 527 and 536 AD (some years before the erection of Hagia Sophia), during the reign of Justinian, as Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, near the Church of the Saints Peter and Paul. The two Churches shared the same Narthex and Court. The church was one among the most important in Constantinople.
Due to the strong resemblance with Hagia Sophia, it is believed that the building has been designed by the same architects, namely Isidorus of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, and that its edification was a kind of "dress rehearsal" for that of the largest church of the Byzantine Empire.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church remained untouched until the reign of Bayezid II. Then it was transformed in a mosque by Hüseyin Agha, the chef of the Aghas, which were the custodians of Bab-i-saadet ("The Gate of happiness" in Turkish) in the Sultan's Palace. At that time the portico and a Madrasah have been added to the building, while the mosaics which adorned the church were destroyed.
Some years ago the edifice, because of the heavy damages caused along its life by umidity and earthquakes, had been added to the UNESCO Watchlist of the endangered monuments. After an extensive restoration lasted several years and ended in September 2006, it has been opened again to the public.
