The Byzantine Relics Of Istanbul

The Monuments of Istanbul from The Byzantine Era; The ex-Christian churches which were converted to the mosque and today some of them are used as Museums; also World Heritage Buildings.

After the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, in Constantinople, another rich and famous era started, under the name: The Byzantium;(4th. century – 1453) Constantinople, became the Capital Town of the Eastern Roman Empire. Today in Istanbul, we have many remainings from that Greek Orthodox; Byzantine Era. Mostly The Ex-Churches were converted to mosques. Let’s discover together some of these Byzantine Relics of Istanbul.

1) Hagia Sophia - Holy Wisdom - Sancta Sophia - Ayasofya 

Ayasofya is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized.It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

2) The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora (Kariye Müzesi )

is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in Istanbul, in the Edirnekap? neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the municipality of Fatih. In the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman rulers, and it became a secular museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with fine mosaics and frescoes.

3) Pammakaristos Church

Pammakaristos Church also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos in 1591 converted into a mosque and known as Fethiye Mosque (Fethiye Cami, ”mosque of the conquest”) and today partly a museum, is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul. The park lesion, besides being one of the important examples of Constantinople’s Palaiologan architecture, has the largest amount of Byzantine mosaics in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia and Chora Church. Hagia Irene or Hagia Eirene, often erroneously rendered in English as St Irene, is a former Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. It is open as a museum every day except Monday but requires special permission for admission.

4) The Great Palace Mosaic Museum

The Great Palace Mosaic Museum is located close to Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul at Arasta Bazaar. The museum houses mosaics from the Byzantine period, unearthed at the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople.

5) The Church of St. John Studios

The Monastery of Studios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner “at Studios” often shortened to Studios or Stoudion (Latin: Studium), was historically the most important monastery of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The residents of the monastery were referred to as Studies (or Studies). Although the monastery has been derelict for half a millennium, the laws and customs of the Stoudion were taken as models by the monks of Mount Athos and of many other monasteries of the Orthodox world; even today they have influence. The ruins of the monastery are situated not far from the Propontis (Marmara Sea) in the section of the city called Psamathia, today’s Koca Mustafa Pasha. It was founded in 462 by the consul Studios, a Roman patrician who had settled in Constantinople and was consecrated to Saint John the Baptist. Its first monks came from the monastery of Acoemetae.

6) Zeyrek Mosque (Molla Zeyrek Cami)

Zeyrek Mosque is a mosque in Istanbul, made of two former Eastern Orthodox churches and a chapel. It represents the most typical example of the architecture of the Byzantine middle period in Constantinople and is, after Hagia Sophia, the 2nd largest religious edifice built by the Byzantines still existent in Istanbul.

If you are interested in Istanbul Byzantine Relics, you can check out our Istanbul Byzantine Relics tour. Within the scope of this tour, you will have the opportunity to explore the Byzantine relics in Istanbul with a special expert guide.