Saint Irene Church in Istanbul, Türkiye. Irene's holy temple Church of Saint Irene plan

The center of the Acropolis (the first courtyard of Topkapi) is occupied by a spacious green lawn, wet from the rain. In good weather, a pack of stray dogs lie here in the sun (however, they are all microchipped), but today it is cloudy, with an impressive line winding to the right at the Topkapi Palace ticket office. A few tourists turn left - towards the Archaeological Museum and Gulhane Park. And very few people linger at the small ticket booth of St. Irene.

The Church of St. Irene is a unique temple. Firstly, it is considered to be the only Byzantine building on the territory of the Acropolis (however, it is not clear what to do with the small Byzantine church in the third courtyard of Topkapi), secondly, St. Irene was never a mosque - under the Ottomans, an arsenal was located here, and then - a warehouse of all sorts of rarities.

The entrance to the church is under a white marble Turkish canopy, completely inappropriate for the harsh beauty of St. Irene. Light columns and ornamental panels look naive and touching.

Saint Irene is the elder sister of the majestic Hagia Sophia. Once upon a time there was a temple of Aphrodite here. but under Constantine (at the beginning of the 4th century) a basilica was erected here, which until 360 served as a patriarchal temple. After the consecration of Hagia Sophia, her older sister, named after the Divine World, was united with Sophia by a common courtyard and served by one clergy. the space between the churches was filled with kitchens, utility rooms and the large hospital of St. Sampson the Host.
To imagine St. Irene in the prime of beauty, you need to remember that the cultural layer here has risen by more than five meters since the last century, and the temple itself burned repeatedly (including during the Nika uprising) and collapsed due to earthquakes. So the modern appearance of the temple is approximately 753 years old, the period of active iconoclasm.
An unusually wide ramp leads down to the powerful marble entrance portal.

St. Irene is a cross-domed church. The huge main dome with a diameter of 15.5 meters is crowned by a quadrangle of walls 42.2 by 36.7 meters.
Everything inside is huge. The marble linings of tightly locked doors, laconically decorated with simple crosses, are striking.

A modern and rather ugly wooden staircase leads to the choir. Unfortunately, access there is closed.

The floor slabs, carefully fitted to each other, are perfectly preserved. An original way of laying - I haven't seen this often. Compare with the marble rivers of neighboring Sofia!

The western gallery of St. Irene, which opens into the atrium, is huge and severe.

The dim light of a January day pours in through a window in the south wall.
Under Emperor Constantius II, it was here in St. Irene. There were fierce disputes with the Arians. In 346, during mass riots in a stampede near the walls of the church, about three thousand people died - the people of Constantinople did not want to let the Arian bishop Macedon into the temple, the guards began to clear the way with swords, the people, as expected, panicked, which led to sad consequences.

Atrium of St. Irene - Justinian. Unfortunately, few Byzantine churches have preserved atriums - for example, on the site of the huge courtyard of Hagia Sophia there is now a summer cafe, a souvenir shop and a street. However, here the temple courtyard is in excellent condition, it is a pity that you cannot penetrate through the glass doors. The colonnade, however, is late, Ottoman.
In the depths, near the colonnade, is a huge porphyry sarcophagus. Surprisingly, the sarcophagus has not been damaged by time; the tightly fitting lid has also been preserved. The height of this miracle is 2.83 meters, the sides are 3.20 m. by 1.91 m. In the guidebooks, this sarcophagus is noted as the sarcophagus of Emperor Constantine, but in reality it most likely contains the remains of Elia Eudoxia, a 24-year-old beauty, wife of Emperor Arcadius, who died in childbirth on October 6, 404.

The lid of the sarcophagus is decorated with an interesting cross - an ankh, which goes back to the hieroglyph "life".
In the atrium are the remains of another imperial porphyry sarcophagus, broken and unknown to whom it belonged, as well as a well and a large clay vessel, possibly for storing grain.

After admiring the courtyard, we return to the narthex. Here, in the arches of the windows, mosaic fragments with a geometric pattern have been preserved here and there.

Poorly preserved remains of paintings appear on the ceiling of the southern aisle.

The internal volume is amazing. This huge, empty and light-filled space is not spoiled even by a stretched awning (something falls and drips from the ceiling). A huge black cat sits on one of the central floor slabs.
By the way. you can see from here. that the columns are of different lengths and balanced by bases.

The capitals, beautiful in their simplicity, with crosses and here and there with imperial monograms, can be seen from the side chapels.

Sometimes St. Irene is used as a concert hall due to its excellent acoustics.

In the apse there is a rarity - a syntron or special steps laid out in an amphitheater for bishops. The sintron is raised above the floor level by about a meter, and is separated from the main part of the temple by a wooden podium.

Wooden stairs and a connecting gallery span a high arch at the west end of the nave. The cat (perhaps the guardian of this place having gone out for a walk) continues to sit, carefully examining the visitors. Doesn't approve of stroking.

Through the awning you can see the main dome.

In the apse is the only decoration of St. Irene - a huge mosaic cross. It is surprising that the image is laid out on a curved surface. The black outline stands out effectively against the golden background.

From May to July 381, meetings of the Second Ecumenical Council were held here.

This is what the outer walls of the Hagia Irene atrium look like - the arcade in the background. White columns with plump capitals are from the courtyards of St. Sampson's Hospital. For some reason tourists don’t come here, which is a pity.

The Constantinople soil level is clearly visible here - the door leading to the atrium was completely covered with a cultural layer.

At the back of the summer cafe there is such an interesting pit with tunnels leading towards Hagia Sophia. The entire space between the temples is now built up - there are the powerful walls of Gulhane Park, and a whole street of houses - and it is almost impossible to imagine the Byzantine face of this place. I think many discoveries await archaeologists.

otherwise Agia Irini (Αγία Ειρήνη) (532)- a temple in Constantinople dedicated to the Holy Myrrh - our Lord Jesus Christ. Venue of the future Eighth Ecumenical (Great and Holy) Council in 2016

The Temple of St. Irene is located in the historical center of Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace. In the temple there is a sarcophagus in which, according to legend, the remains of St. Emperor Constantine.

A Christian temple was erected on this site at the beginning of the 4th century. on the site of the ruins of the ancient temple of Aphrodite at St. Emperor Constantine. The original Church of Hagia Irene was the main temple of Constantinople before the construction of Hagia Sophia. In May-July 381, meetings of the Second Ecumenical Council were held there.

In January 532, during the Nika uprising, the church was burned and then rebuilt under St. Emperor Justinian in 548

The Church of Hagia Irene was badly damaged by the earthquake of 740 and was rebuilt. The figurative mosaics were destroyed by iconoclasts; in place of the traditional Savior Pantocrator in the conch there is a mosaic cross.

Church of Hagia Irene after the fall of Byzantium

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Church of Hagia Irene was desecrated, but was not converted into a mosque. Until the 19th century used by the Turks as armories and for storing trophies. From 1846 to 1874, the church housed the Museum of Antiquities, and from 1908 - the Military Museum. In 1946, the Church of St. Irene was freed from all collections for archaeological research.

In 1978, the Church of Hagia Irene was transferred to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and turned into a concert hall. Since 1980, it has been the main venue for the annual international music festival. The temple was largely closed to visitors except on special occasions. Since April 2014, tourists can freely visit the temple.

In 2010, as part of the Orthodox-Catholic musical project “Three Romes”, concerts of music by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, as well as works, took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, in the Church of St. Irene in Istanbul and in the Vatican Hall of Papal Audiences. The idea of ​​the ecumenical festival was born in the fall of 2009 at a meeting of Met. Hilarion with Pope Benedict XVI.

Church of St. Irene and the Eighth Ecumenical Council

Visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Second day. Visit to an exhibition dedicated to places of pilgrimage in Turkey. Performance by the choir of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery // Patriarchia.ru.

Ἁγ. Eἰρήνη ἡ Παλαιά

Church of St. Irene

Église de Sainte Irene, Constantinople

For confessing Christ, the holy martyrs Irina and Sophia were beheaded in Egypt during the reign of Hadrian. Relics of St. Irene was transferred to Constantinople under Constantine the Great, who built a temple in her honor.

The Church of Hagia Irene is one of the earliest churches and the only example of a Byzantine church in Constantinople. The church is located in the historical center of Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district in the first courtyard of the Topkapi Palace. The church is a classical basilica in the shape of a cross. The vestibule of the church is lined with mosaics from the time of Justinian. In the church there is a sarcophagus in which, according to legend, the remains of Constantine rest.

The church was erected at the beginning of the 4th century on the site of the ruins of the ancient temple of Aphrodite under the Byzantine emperor Constantine and was the main Byzantine church until the construction of Hagia Sophia. It was here that the Second Ecumenical Council was held in 381.

In 346, over 3,000 people were killed near the church due to religious differences. In 532, during the Nika revolt, the church was burned and then rebuilt under Justinian in 532. The church was severely damaged by an earthquake in 740, after which it was restored.

Chroniclers and patriographers usually attribute its construction to Constantine. This is already spoken about by Socrates, the author closest to the event, who clarifies that the emperor gave her the name Peace (Eἰρήνη).

However, this historian in another place hints that the temple existed before this sovereign; according to him, she was small; the emperor expanded and decorated it. One of the lives of Paul the Confessor, partially reproduced by Photius in his Library, says that the temple was enlarged by Constantius.

It is possible that the church was a cathedral during the construction of Hagia Sophia. The holy Bishop Alexander prayed there for the triumph of Orthodoxy at the time when Arius was supposed to be officially received in Hagia Sophia and suddenly died (in 336?). It was there that the successor of St. Alexander, St. Paul the Confessor, was ordained Bishop of Constantinople (in the fall of 337). The Temple of Hagia Irene played a leading role until the consecration of Hagia Sophia in 360. Both churches, however, were considered as one sanctuary and were located in the same enclosure, as Socrates clarifies.

According to the Life of Saint Stephen the New, the first ecumenical council of Constantinople took place in Hagia Irene in 381... The Διήγησις or Narrative of the Construction of Hagia Sophia states that in 381 the Arians threw fire on the roof of Hagia Sophia, and that Bishop Nektarios moved his bishopric to St. Irene; restoration work was done only two years later.

Whatever the situation with this fire, St. John Chrysostom preached a sermon on the singing of psalms in St. Irene in 398. The church probably served as a cathedral for another dozen years at the beginning of the 5th century, after the fire of Hagia Sophia in September 404, during the second exile of St. John Chrysostom, until its final restoration in 415.

According to one legend, during the strong earthquakes under Theodosius II and Bishop Proclus (434–446), a certain child was suddenly lifted into the air and heard angels singing the Trisagion; he came back down without any harm, told what he had heard, and died immediately; he was buried in St. Irene.

In January 438, the relics of St. John Chrysostom, brought from Asia Minor, were first placed in St. Irene before being transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles.

John Chrysostom. Engraving

Patriographers claim that the usurper Basiliscus, deposed by Zeno, took refuge in St. Irene with his wife and children (in September 477). However, the Easter Chronicle reports that it was in the baptismal church of Hagia Sophia.

Istanbul Hagia Sophia

The church fell victim to flames during the Nika revolt (in January 532). Justinian rebuilt it again, extensive enough that Procopius could say that there were no churches as large in Constantinople, with the exception of Hagia Sophia. In December 564, a new fire that devastated the quarter destroyed the atrium and part of the narthex of St. Irene.

She was restored again. Vita s. Gregorii Agrigentini claims that a council was held there in 588. Then, for more than a century and a half, not a single document mentions the sanctuary. On October 26, 738, it was seriously damaged by a strong earthquake that devastated Thrace.

It is impossible to say with certainty when the temple was rebuilt, but it must not have happened under Leo III, as is usually claimed.

This sovereign died on June 18, 740 and, apparently, had to restore, first of all, the walls of the City, which had suffered significant damage. Probably, the temple of St. Irene was rebuilt under his son Constantine V (740–775). In 859, Patriarch Ignatius held a council there, which pronounced the deposition of his rival Photius.

We find no more traces of Saint Irene in Byzantine documents later than the 10th century, except for the writings of patriographers. However, Pachymer mentions that in 1283 Germanus was ordained there, and was appointed metropolitan of Herakleia of Thracia. Russian pilgrims talk about the temple only in passing, without attaching any significance to it. It can be said with reasonable certainty that services were held in the church until the capture of Constantinople in 1453.

Patriographers call it πατριαρχεῖον - probably because the patriarch served there when there were no large ceremonies held in Hagia Sophia or in other churches, so one can consider Hagia Irene as a patriarchal chapel. Writers call it τὴν παλαιάν, τὴν ἀρχαίαν (ancient) to distinguish it from the one that was built in Perama by Marcian in the 5th century, and also τὴν παλαιὰν καὶ νέαν - perhaps after its restoration in the 8th century century.

Several special celebrations were celebrated at the Church of St. Irene. On January 23, the memory of Saint Clement, the Hieromartyr of Ancyra, and his fellow sufferer Agafangel was celebrated. The consecration of the temple was celebrated on April 27 or 28, according to the synaxars. On Good Friday, the patriarch delivered a catechetical teaching there, and the patricians were supposed to gather there towards the end of this teaching.

When the feast of the Annunciation fell on Great Pentecost, the patriarch celebrated the liturgy there. On the same Good Friday, the Holy Spear was brought from the Imperial Palace and placed on the throne of St. Irene, where the patriarch came to bow to it and cense it, after which it was returned to the Palace. Finally, during the procession, when the tomos or decree of unity of 920 was read, which put an end to the dispute over quadrugamy, the emperor and patriarch went to the Church of St. Irene, where the service was performed.

The Church of Hagia Irene was never converted into a mosque, probably because it was located within the enclosure of the Seraglio. Since the temple was located next to the Janissary barracks, it served as an armory for several centuries. From 1846 to 1874 it housed the Museum of Antiquities, then it became the Military Museum. In 1946 it was cleared of all collections so that archaeological research could be carried out, which was very productive.

In general, this monument, in the form in which it has survived today, dates back to the era of Justinian. This is a domed basilica, something like a transition between a ceiling basilica and a Byzantine cross church topped with one or more domes. The building itself has a length of 57.50 m outside and 46.25 m inside.

The nave is 18 m wide and extends 40 m to the apse. The side naves, separated from the central one by a double row of columns and four powerful supports, are 5 meters wide.

The atrium, located in front of the narthex, was extensively rebuilt by the Turks. In general, it dates back to the 8th century. It has the shape of a parallelepiped measuring between 45 and 41.25 m by 33.75 m. The internal gallery is entirely Turkish; The buildings surrounding the entrance door in the north and bordering the apse from the outside are also Turkish.

The church is topped with two domes. One, whose internal diameter is 16 meters, is semicircular, rests on four powerful supports and covers most of the nave; the other, low, elliptical in shape, is located between the first and the narthex. The narthex is topped with three vaults. The semicircular apse has a passage around its circumference, which allowed one to pass from one end to the other without crossing the altar and is believed to date back to the 8th century.

Church of St. Irene in Constantinople. View from the southeast.

On the capitals there are monograms of Justinian or Theodora. All the carvings date back to the era of this basileus. Mosaics appear here and there, more or less damaged or covered with painting. They are especially clearly visible on the triumphal arch and in the apse dome. In the latter there is a large cross standing on a pedestal of four steps.

The arch contains two mosaic inscriptions, both from the 6th century, as they have the same characteristic features as the inscriptions in the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus. The lower inscription is taken from Psalm 64, 5 next: ὁ ναός σου, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν ὁ Θ<εὸ>ς ὁ σ<ωτ>ὴρ ἡμῶν, ἡ ἐλπὶς πάντων τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ μακράν. The upper inscription is stated as follows: νομα α( ὐτοῦ). In the room located at the end of the right gallery on the wall you can see a fresco representing two saints whose faces are disfigured.

Near the temple in the 6th century there were two ἀσκητήρια, something like monasteries for nuns, one of whose duties was to sing at funerals, according to the 59th novel of Justinian. The monastery burned down in a fire in December 564.”
(To here Janin)

We were unable to get inside the temple; although some Turks came there for some reason while we were there, they didn’t let us in; only managed to take a few photos through the cat hole in the metal door at ground level. The weight of centuries can already be felt in this temple: one of the walls is clearly tilted; it seems like it is being propped up, but looking at it, you can’t help but think: how long will the temple stand?..

Updated 04/03/2019

The Church of St. Irene in Istanbul is located on the territory of the Topkapi Palace complex. It is considered one of the oldest Christian religious institutions in Constantinople. For a city that was once conquered by Muslims, the preservation of the Christian church almost in its original form is an unprecedented success. True, these days there are no services in the temple, and the Church of St. Irene (Hagia Irene Museum) has turned into a museum for tourists and a concert venue for local residents.

Excursion into history - Ecumenical Council, Arsenal and Museum

The Church of Saint Irene in Istanbul (Aya İrini) is actually dedicated to the “Holy World”, and not to a saint named Irene. The first Christian building on this site appeared in the 4th century. The basilica was erected under the Roman Emperor Constantine. Before construction began, the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love in ancient Greek mythology, was located here. For some time, the Church of St. Irene had the status of the main temple of Constantinople. However, immediately after the construction of Hagia Sophia it was lost. In 381 AD within the walls of Aya İrini The Second Ecumenical Council took place. It formulated the doctrine of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

In 532, Constantinople was gripped by the largest uprising in the city's history, which was called the Nika. During it, the city suffered significant destruction. Hundreds of buildings were burned, including the Church of St. Irene . True, it was rebuilt almost immediately. Two centuries later, the building was rebuilt again. This time because of an earthquake. After him, the era of iconoclasm began in Byzantium, which resulted in the destruction of the figured mosaics that decorated the temple. You will find out what these mosaics could be if you visit.

Then, for several centuries, no one touched the Church of St. Irene in Istanbul. Everything changed with the arrival of the Ottomans. Fortunately, the fate of many churches turned into mosques by the Turks did not befall this temple. For centuries, the Christian church was used as an armory, and in the middle of the 19th century the Archaeological Museum was opened here. However, very soon there was absolutely not enough space to store exhibits and the museum was moved to another building (there will definitely be a separate article about visiting the Archaeological Museum). At the beginning of the 20th century, the Military Museum was located in the temple building. Nowadays, concerts are held here occasionally, and an annual music festival is also held here. And it is no coincidence - the temple has unique acoustics. There was even a fashion show here once. So we can say that the building has passed all the milestones - from the main temple in the city to the podium.

For tourists, the Church of St. Irene in Istanbul opened on a permanent basis in January 2014. Before this, you could visit Aya Irena only after receiving special permission or in honor of some event.

My impressions of visiting the Church of St. Irene

To be honest, visiting St. Irene’s Church was not part of my plans. But it turned out that it is included in the list of museums that can be entered absolutely free of charge if you have access. I decided it would be a sin not to take advantage of the offer and P After the visit, he moved to the church building. At the entrance, my museum card was scanned and invited to enter.

Important! At the moment, the church is not included in the list of free museums on the map.

What is immediately striking is the huge atrium, which has remained intact since the last expansion of the temple, which occurred many centuries ago. Here I would like to say thank you again to the Turks for not turning the Church of St. Irene in Istanbul into another countless mosque.

Places for visitors to visit not much, although the temple is quite large. However, special ropes warn tourists that the passage is closed. For example, you cannot approach the stage where concerts are held. It is also impossible to climb to the second floor using wooden stairs.

The walls of the building are thoroughly saturated with history, and the building itself is very light and airy (due to the high ceilings).

One of the features of the church is the mosaic cross located in the conch.

This is the name for a semi-dome, which serves to cover the semi-cylindrical parts of buildings. Usually an image of the Savior Almighty is placed here (this plot, where Jesus is depicted as the Heavenly King, is central in icon painting), but in this case an ascetic cross appears to the eyes of visitors.

Inspecting the temple will not take much time - 10 minutes is more than enough. If you did not purchase a museum card, then, in my opinion, you don’t need to visit the Church of Hagia Irene in Istanbul. An external inspection will be enough - around the building you can see the old masonry of the temple excavated by archaeologists.

Inside the temple you can meet one of the ubiquitous Istanbul cats, and outside you are sure to run into a dog (or dogs) basking on the green grass.

Useful information about the Church of St. Irene

Address: Sultanahmet, 34122 Fatih/Istanbul, Türkiye

Hagia Irene Church in Istanbul on the map

How to get to the church

When entering the territory of the Topkagy palace complex through the main gate, you need to go a little forward and turn left. If you enter Topkapi through Gulhane Park, then passing the entrance to the Archaeological Museum and leaving the Welcome Gate (Babü"s-selâm‎) on the left, you need to take a right.

Working hours: from 9:00 to 17:00 in winter and from 09:00 to 19:00 in summer. Tuesday is a day off.

Entrance fee: 30 Turkish lira.

Always yours, Daniil Privonov.

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