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Hagia Irene

Hagia Irene

Cankurtaran Mh., Topkapı Sarayı 1. Avlu, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul

RELIGIONS Orthodox

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGIOUS SITE

DESCRIPTION
Hagia Irene or Hagia Eirene, sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is a Greek Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the few churches in Istanbul that has not been converted into a mosque. The Hagia Irene today operates as a museum and concert hall.The building reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple. It ranks as the first church completed in Constantinople, before Hagia Sophia, during its transfiguration from a Greek trading colony to the eastern capital of the Roman Empire. According to later tradition, the Roman emperor Constantine I commissioned the first Hagia Irene church in the 4th century, which was completed by the end of his reign (337). It served as the church of the Patriarchate before Hagia Sophia was completed in 360 under Constantius II.[2] During the Nika revolt in 532,[3] Hagia Irene was burned down. Emperor Justinian I had the church rebuilt in 548. It was then damaged again by an earthquake on October 20 740, about six months before the death of Leo III.[4] The Emperor Constantine V ordered the restorations [4] and had its interior decorated with mosaics and frescoes. Some restorations from this time have survived to the present.
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE
The Church of Hagia Eirene, dedicated to Divine Peace, is an important example of Constantinopolitan imperial and religious architecture, only second in size after Hagia Sophia. The church was the subject of extensive reconstructions over time and the difficulty in dating and understanding some of its characteristic features as well as its austere interior marked by the monumental Iconoclastic cross, may account for its relative neglect by scholars and general public in relation to its famous neighbor, Hagia Sophia.
INTER-RELIGIOUS RELEVANCE
Today, the Hagia Irene serves mainly as a concert hall for classical music performances, due to its extraordinary acoustic characteristics and impressive atmosphere. Many of the concerts of the Istanbul International Music Festival have been held here every summer since 1980. In 2000, the Turkish haute couture designer Faruk Saraç produced a special show here. A collection of 700 designed pieces inspired by the Ottoman sultans, including the robes of 36 sultans ranging from Osman Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire to the last sultan, Mehmed VI, were on display. The show was accompanied by music and the story of the sultans' lives and demonstrations of Ottoman-era dancing. For many years, the Hagia Irene was only accessible during events or by special permission, but the museum has been open to the public every day except Tuesday since January 2014.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
The apse of Hagia Eirene is a very rare- maybe the unique example in Constantinople. The three windows symbolize the trinity in Christian world. And the synthronon (the stepped platform used by priests) is an attribute of Mount Golgotha where Christ was crucified. The Golden Cross (aka Golgotha Cross) that is outlined in black tesserae on a golden background is the most fascinating relic, surviving the Iconoclastic Period.
HOW TO USE WITH THE STUDENTS
Organize a direct visit to the site,
REFERENCE TO THE GUIDELINE

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    This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.