The mosaics in Chora are jaw-droppingly beautiful. And it appears that no effort or expense had been spared in the creation of this masterpiece. It was built in an effort to restore the glory of Constantinople after the city was sacked by the Latin soldiers of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The Chora Church is interesting not so much for the building itself, which happened to be hidden behind the scaffolding when I visited, but for the stunning mosaics that it preserves within its walls.
#Rename it istanbul portable#
(A very handy Trafi app provides detailed information on public transport options in Istanbul, and the portable Alldaywifi is a very useful device for using your phone’s GPS on the road). It is located further from the city centre and takes a little more effort to reach, but it is definitely worth the trouble. One of the most interesting Byzantine churches in the city, however, is the Church of St. READ MORE: The greatest mosques in IstanbulĬhurch of SS-Sergius and Bacchus or Little Hagia Sophia Chora ChurchĪddress: Dervişali, Kariye Cami Sk. It is still open to the public outside of the prayer times but there is little doubt that the interior of the structure will change to make it more appropriate for a mosque. Update: in July 2020, Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum to an active mosque by a Presidential decree. Though I still managed to see a couple of mosaics that miraculously survived to this day despite being painted over when the church was converted into a mosque, during Ottoman rule. Unfortunately, the gallery was closed during my visit. The immense nave of the church is flanked by the monolithic green and purple columns that support the upper gallery, where most of the surviving mosaics are found. Just imagine how people would’ve felt underneath this dome 1,500 years ago. Gawking at this amazing structure is probably as close as you can come to experiencing Constantinople today. Such an unexpected cascade of domes creates an impression of a surrealistic structure that shouldn’t be able to exist. That dome is supported by two great semi-domes, which in turn rest on smaller semidomed porticos. The lofty central dome seems to be frozen in mid-air almost 56 meters above, which is about the height of a 15-storey building. Standing in the dimly lit interior of Hagia Sophia, it is impossible not to be amazed by the sheer scale of the building. The dome of Hagia Eirene is visible in the background. Designed by a physicist and a mathematician, it has been the largest church in the world for nearly a thousand years.Īya Sophia, with the addition of minarets, Ottoman mausoleums and various support buttresses. It is more than 1,400 years old, and the very fact that it still stands today is a testament to the power and sophistication of the 6th century Byzantine Empire.
Perhaps the most iconic image of Constantinople is the magnificent Hagia Sophia – the church of the Holy Wisdom. Constantinople Churches Aya Sophia (Hagia Sophia)Īddress: Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul This is where you will find most of the surviving relics of Constantinople today. The power centre of Constantinople comprising of Haghia Sophia, the Hippodrome, and the Great Palace was located in the modern-day neighbourhood of Sultanahmet. So I created this walking guide for myself to find as many traces of Constantinople in Istanbul as I could. Yet for all its fame, today, many people wonder, where is Constantinople now? So did I, as I planned my trip to Istanbul.
Constantinople became a legendary city, known all across the ancient world. Theodosius II re-built the defensive land walls around the city, Valens built the network of aqueducts, and Justinian gave Constantinople Haghia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern. Starting with Constantine, the young Byzantine Empire saw a number of powerful rulers in a reasonably quick succession who continued to build and expand the capital.
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