Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus - Küçük Ayasofia ~530 - History of Islamic Architecture (sitios de interés)

Descripción del sitio

This marker is part of an extended History of Islamic Architecture

Constantinople-Istanbul
Monastery of the Sts. Sergius and Bacchus - Küçük Ayasofia Camii (Little Aghia Sofia)
Built by Justinian I
~530

Considered the pre-cursor to the Hagia Sophia. It was built by Justinian I shortly after his ascention to the throne. The church of Sts. Sergius and Bakkhos was joined at its north wall to a basilica dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul. The two churches shared a courtyard to the west and were surrounded by monastery buildings managed by Monophysites(!) presumably from Syria.
The church of Sts. Peter and Paul was demolished during the construction of a raiload in the 1860s.

Hüseyin Aga, the chief officer of the Ottoman Palace during the rule of Bayezid II (1481-1512), converted the Church of Sergius and Bacchus into a mosque. The mosque has a single minaret on the southwest corner, which dates from 1955. The Küçük Ayasofya was included in the annual list of the World Monuments Watch as one of the "100 Most Endangered Sites" in 2002. -

the church and the rail tracks in the foreground - without minaret (before 1955):




Photo before 1955 - without minaret.



Interior, photo early 20th cent.




Text and photos from Archnet.org

Mapa del lugar de interés Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus - Küçük Ayasofia ~530

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