Hagia Irene
An Early Byzantine Church Rebuilt In The Sixth Century, Never Converted To A Mosque, With A Huge Simple Dome, A Mosaic Cross And A Large Apse With Seats For Clergy, Used Today For Concerts. A Calm And Uncluttered Building Beside The Busier Hagia Sophia · Fatih, Istanbul
Hagia Irene sits in the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace, just inside the outer gate and beside Hagia Sophia, and it is one of the oldest church buildings in the city. A first church is said to have stood here in the fourth century (confirm), and the present dome and walls date mainly from the sixth century, after fire and earthquake. The Ottomans never turned it into a mosque. They used it as an armoury and later as a museum of weapons, so the walls kept their bare Byzantine form. Inside is a huge, plain dome, a long nave with galleries, a great apse with tiers of seats for clergy and, high on the apse, a simple black cross in mosaic. The space has remarkable acoustics and is used for concerts in the festival season. A separate ticket is normally needed (confirm), and queues are shorter here than at the neighbouring sights. It is a calm, uncluttered place to sit and look, and a visit usually takes under an hour.
Hagia Irene, a Byzantine church in the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Sultanahmet, Fatih, entered from the Topkapi outer gate; coordinates approximate, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkiye
The building is normally open daily except one closed day each week, from roughly 09:00 to 17:00 or later in summer (confirm). It lies inside the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace, which has its own hours and gate, and it can close for concerts, rehearsals and works. Last entry comes shortly before closing. Confirm the days, the ticket price and any concert closure on the day.