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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Aya Irini |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Church |
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Plan Type:
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Domed Basilica |
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Year of Costruction:
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740 |
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Phase:
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Middle Early |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey Excavation |
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Altitude:
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Region:
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Marmara |
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Province:
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Istanbul |
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District:
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Fatih |
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Village:
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Cankurtaran Mah. |
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Antique Name:
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Constantinople |
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| Location: It is located within the borders of the Museum of Topkapi Palace at the end of the road leading to the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul, passing by the Gülhane Park in the Eminönü District of Istanbul. |
| Geography and Environment: It is situated on the western slope to the south of the earlier city [Müller-Wiener 2001]. Recognized due to its closeness to the Church of St. Sophia during the Byzantine Empire, it served as the cathedral church of the city during the construction of the earlier St. Sophia and its reconstruction after 404. It is known that a council was gathered here in 867. The Patriarch served in this church except the times the Divine Liturgy was offered in the church of St. Sophia with the participation of the Emperor, and thus it was referred as "Patriarchate" by many Byzantine historians [Tezcan 1989]. The church was very close to the Augustaion Forum. 20 m to the southwest rise the remains of the building believed to have been the Xenodocheion of Samson; 100 m to the southwest is the Museum of St. Sophia; and 180 m to the west are the remains of the Church of Chalcoprateia. |
| Research and Excavation: Cossors and Salzenberg who surveyed the Church of St. Irene during the 19th century prepared an outline and sectional drawings, which were followed by surveys and researches by Choisy in 1875-1876, and by Gurlitt and George. Between 1946 and 1947, archaeological excavations were conducted around the building by Ramazanoglu. And, Tamer carried out some repair works in 1955-1956 [Tamer 2003]. In 1958-1961, F. Dirimtekin, and in 1974-1976 Oz conducted excavations around the building [Dirimtekin 1963a:161-185; Tezcan 1989]. Analyses performed by U. Peschlow in 1978 serve as the main source today. |
| Description: Building Phases: The original building dated to the Late Roman Period was enlarged by Constantine I. Burnt down during the Nika Revolt in 532, it was restored by Justinian in 564 [Mutlu 1996]. Also undergoing a renovation following an earthquake, the present form of the church has been mainly retained after 740. During the reign of Leon IV (775-780) and the 9th century, it sustained grave damages from earthquakes, and was enlarged in the late 11th and early 12th centuries [Tamer 2003]. Not being converted into a mosque after the conquest, it was occupied as a woodyard for a while, and then as an arsenal [Tezcan 1989]. Undergoing a renovation in 1800 and in 1840, it became a Military Museum between 1846 and 1940. Since 1972, it has been used for several cultural activities and performances, and the balcony dating to the Ottoman Period was damaged as a result of a fire in 1992 [Müller-Wiener 2001:112-117]. Architectural Features: Being the only Byzantine church with a single atrium and synthronon which survived to the present day in Istanbul, the lower part which according to some scientists dates to Justininian era bears the characteristics of a basilica while the roofing dating to the period after 740 is a domed cross in square plan [Grossmann 1965:186-207]. Although the main building measures 57x32 m, the total length reaches up to 100 m together with the 43 m long atrium [Unsal 2001]. The main dome is 15 m in diameter, and 35 m in height. The dome with an interior sphere and exterior high drum is pierced by a total of 20 windows, of which 12 being walled up by bricks. There exists a second dome, which is flat and shallow on the outside, facing the atrium. The remaining bays were all covered by barrel vault. The colonnaded atrium which underwent considerable changes during the Ottoman Period was both reduced in size and departed far from its original form [Mathews 1976:102-103, pics. 11.1-11.35; Peschlow 1977; van Millingen 1974:84-104, pics. 31-35]. Decorative Features: The majority of the earlier mosaics of the building were removed during the Iconoclastic Period. Small fragments of mosaics, probably from the Early Byzantine Period, remained on the vaults and the abutments of the narthex. There is a great cross from the Iconoclastic Period on a four-tiered pedestal in the apse of the half-dome. The cross represents Jesus Christ while the pedestal depicts the Hill of Golgotha where he was crucified. Analysis on the floor of the main sanctuary yielded mosaics in two sections, which are the earliest examples of the Early Byzantine Period from the first sanctuary erected during the reign of of Constantine I. Traces of frescoes from the Late Byzantine Period are observed in the right upper gallery of the building. |
| Finds: Several finds such as fragments of parapet plates and column capitals unearthed during the excavations conducted at various dates have been already preserved at the Museum of St. Sophia [Tezcan 1989]. |
| Interpretation: Socrates of Constantinople, a Greek Christian church historian, describes the Church of St. Irene as the first Christian structure built in Istanbul [Tezcan 1989]. Fletcher claims that built during the Period of Justinian I, it might have been a single-domed church, and describes it as a large-scale example of the Monastery of Alahan, including galleries [Fletcher 1967]. Krautheimer compares it with the Church of Dereagzi in Anatolia (9th century) [Krautheimer 1986]. |
| Destruction: |
