Istanbul Church of Saint Irene. Saint Irene Church in Istanbul, Türkiye. Church of Hagia Irene after the fall of Byzantium

The center of the Acropolis (the first courtyard of Topkapi) is occupied by a spacious green lawn, wet from the rain. In good weather, a pack of stray dogs lie here in the sun (however, they are all microchipped), but today it is cloudy, with an impressive line winding to the right at the Topkapi Palace ticket office. A few tourists turn left - towards the Archaeological Museum and Gulhane Park. And very few people linger at the small ticket booth of St. Irene.

The Church of St. Irene is a unique temple. Firstly, it is considered to be the only Byzantine building on the territory of the Acropolis (however, it is not clear what to do with the small Byzantine church in the third courtyard of Topkapi), secondly, St. Irene was never a mosque - under the Ottomans, an arsenal was located here, and then - a warehouse of all sorts of rarities.

The entrance to the church is under a white marble Turkish canopy, completely inappropriate for the harsh beauty of St. Irene. Light columns and ornamental panels look naive and touching.

Saint Irene is the elder sister of the majestic Hagia Sophia. Once upon a time there was a temple of Aphrodite here. but under Constantine (at the beginning of the 4th century) a basilica was erected here, which until 360 served as a patriarchal temple. After the consecration of Hagia Sophia, her older sister, named after the Divine World, was united with Sophia by a common courtyard and served by one clergy. the space between the churches was filled with kitchens, utility rooms and the large hospital of St. Sampson the Host.
To imagine St. Irene in the prime of beauty, you need to remember that the cultural layer here has risen by more than five meters since the last century, and the temple itself burned repeatedly (including during the Nika uprising) and collapsed due to earthquakes. So the modern appearance of the temple is approximately 753 years old, the period of active iconoclasm.
An unusually wide ramp leads down to the powerful marble entrance portal.

St. Irene is a cross-domed church. The huge main dome with a diameter of 15.5 meters is crowned by a quadrangle of walls 42.2 by 36.7 meters.
Everything inside is huge. The marble frames of tightly locked doors, laconically decorated with simple crosses, are striking.

A modern and rather ugly wooden staircase leads to the choir. Unfortunately, access there is closed.

The floor slabs, carefully fitted to each other, are perfectly preserved. The original way styling - I haven't seen one like this often. Compare with the marble rivers of neighboring Sofia!

The western gallery of St. Irene, which opens into the atrium, is huge and severe.

The dim light of a January day pours in through a window in the south wall.
Under Emperor Constantius II, it was here in St. Irene. There were fierce disputes with the Arians. In 346, during mass riots in a stampede near the walls of the church, about three thousand people died - the people of Constantinople did not want to let the Arian bishop Macedon into the temple, the guards began to clear the way with swords, the people, as expected, panicked, which led to sad consequences.

Atrium of St. Irene - Justinian. Unfortunately, few Byzantine churches have preserved atriums - for example, on the site of the huge courtyard of Hagia Sophia there is now a summer cafe, a souvenir shop and a street. However, here the temple courtyard is in excellent condition, it is a pity that you cannot penetrate through the glass doors. The colonnade, however, is late, Ottoman.
In the depths, near the colonnade, is a huge porphyry sarcophagus. Surprisingly, the sarcophagus has not been damaged by time; the tightly fitting lid has also been preserved. The height of this miracle is 2.83 meters, the sides are 3.20 m. by 1.91 m. In the guidebooks, this sarcophagus is noted as the sarcophagus of Emperor Constantine, but in reality it most likely contains the remains of Elia Eudoxia, a 24-year-old beauty, wife of Emperor Arcadius, who died in childbirth on October 6, 404.

The lid of the sarcophagus is decorated with an interesting cross - an ankh, which goes back to the hieroglyph "life".
In the atrium are the remains of another imperial porphyry sarcophagus, broken and unknown to whom it belonged, as well as a well and a large clay vessel, possibly for storing grain.

After admiring the courtyard, we return to the narthex. Here, in the arches of the windows, mosaic fragments with a geometric pattern have been preserved here and there.

Poorly preserved remains of paintings appear on the ceiling of the southern aisle.

The internal volume is amazing. This huge, empty and light-filled space is not spoiled even by a stretched awning (something falls and drips from the ceiling). A huge black cat sits on one of the central floor slabs.
By the way. you can see from here. that the columns are of different lengths and balanced by bases.

The capitals, beautiful in their simplicity, with crosses and here and there with imperial monograms, can be seen from the side chapels.

Sometimes St. Irene is used as a concert hall due to its excellent acoustics.

In the apse there is a rarity - a syntron or special steps laid out in an amphitheater for bishops. The sintron is raised above the floor level by about a meter, and is separated from the main part of the temple by a wooden podium.

Wooden stairs and a connecting gallery span a high arch at the west end of the nave. The cat (perhaps the guardian of this place having gone out for a walk) continues to sit, carefully examining the visitors. Doesn't approve of stroking.

Through the awning you can see the main dome.

In the apse is the only decoration of St. Irene - a huge mosaic cross. It is surprising that the image is laid out on a curved surface. The black outline stands out effectively against the golden background.

From May to July 381, meetings of the Second Ecumenical Council were held here.

This is what the outer walls of the Hagia Irene atrium look like - the arcade in the background. White columns with plump capitals are from the courtyards of St. Sampson's Hospital. For some reason tourists don’t come here, which is a pity.

The Constantinople soil level is clearly visible here - the door leading to the atrium was completely covered with a cultural layer.

At the back of the summer cafe there is such an interesting pit with tunnels leading towards Hagia Sophia. The entire space between the temples is now built up - there are the powerful walls of Gulhane Park, and a whole street of houses - and it is almost impossible to imagine the Byzantine face of this place. I think many discoveries await archaeologists.

Church of St. Irene only now it is called a church. And once upon a time it really served as a temple. Moreover, it was the oldest temple in Constantinople.
Church of St. Irene was built under Emperor Constantine, around the 4th century AD.
He obliged his subjects to convert to Christianity. Although before that there was an ancient pagan temple here. It was destroyed and a Christian basilica was built. Thus Church of St. Irene was the main church of the city before the appearance of the Hagia Sophia.

Almost all churches during the Ottoman Empire were rebuilt into mosques. Strange,
that Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror ordered the Istanbul Church of St. Irene to be left alone, and for a long time Christian services were held here. But when they began to build the Topkapi Palace, the question arose: is it possible to leave a Christian church on the territory of the Sultan’s palace? And yet they did not convert it into a mosque. Just church Saint Irene used for storing weapons. In the 19th century, the building was turned into a museum, and now concerts of classical orchestras are held here.

The acoustics here are unique. It's all about the special architecture, thanks to which the audibility in the temple is such that even a whisper can be heard everywhere.

IN Church of St. Irene There are also various exhibitions and other cultural events in the city.

Find Church of St. Irene very easy. If you enter the Topkapi Palace grounds through the main gate, you will immediately see it on the left.

The church can be visited from 9:00 to 17:00.
Tuesday is a day off.
Ticket price is 20 Turkish lira.

5 comments

Good day!
Tell me, please, in order to get to this church, in addition to 20 liras, do I also need to pay for the entrance to the territory of the Topkapi Palace? Or can I visit this church separately?
Thanks in advance for your answer.

February 21st, 2014

We are delighted that the Church of St. Irina, on the last day of visiting Istanbul, I ran there and clicked many, many photos, I wanted to capture the details and little things. But unfortunately, not many details and little details have been preserved - almost everything inside was destroyed, apparently in ancient times.

At the beginning of this entry I am reprinting probably the best thing that has been written about c. St. Irina - from the book by R. Janin, Le siège de Constantinople et le Patriarcat Oecuménique. Les églises et les monastères,Paris, 1969, (Géographie ecclésiastique de l'Empire Byzantin) p. 103-106. Translation from French by T. A. Senina, 2008. Then I’ll look at Ivanov’s, I don’t have it at hand now and I’ll add something.

In the meantime, a photo with a little explanation. I apologize for the emotionality of the first photo report - I dreamed of getting into this temple for many many years, tried to negotiate with the guards, but, apparently, I was not so convincing...

Story.
Chroniclers and patriographers usually attribute its construction to Constantine. This is already spoken about by Socrates, the author closest to the event, who clarifies that the emperor gave her the name Mira (Eἰρήνη). However, this historian in another place hints that the temple existed before this sovereign; according to him, she was small; the emperor expanded and decorated it. One of the lives of Paul the Confessor, partially reproduced by Photius in his Library, says that the temple was enlarged by Constantius. It is possible that the church was a cathedral during the construction of Hagia Sophia. The holy Bishop Alexander prayed there for the triumph of Orthodoxy at the time when Arius was supposed to be officially received in Hagia Sophia and suddenly died (in 336?). It was there that the successor of St. Alexander, St. Paul the Confessor, was ordained Bishop of Constantinople (in the fall of 337). The Temple of Hagia Irene played a leading role until the consecration of Hagia Sophia in 360. Both churches, however, were considered as one sanctuary and were located in the same enclosure, as Socrates clarifies.

According to the Life of St. Stephen the New, the first ecumenical council of Constantinople took place in St. Irene in 381...Διήγησις or The account of the building of Hagia Sophia states that in 381 the Arians threw fire on the roof of Hagia Sophia, and that Bishop Nektarios transferred his bishopric to Hagia Irene; restoration work was done only two years later. Whatever the situation with this fire, St. John Chrysostom preached a sermon on the singing of psalms in St. Irene in 398. The church probably served as a cathedral for another dozen years at the beginning of the 5th century, after the fire of Hagia Sophia in September 404, during the second exile of St. John Chrysostom, until its final restoration in 415. According to one legend, in during the time of strong earthquakes under Theodosius II and Bishop Proclus (434-446), a certain child was suddenly lifted into the air and heard angels singing the Trisagion; he came back down without any harm, told what he had heard, and died immediately; he was buried in St. Irene. In January 438, the relics of St. John Chrysostom, brought from Asia Minor, were first placed in St. Irene before being transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Patriographers claim that the usurper Basiliscus, deposed by Zeno, took refuge in St. Irene with his wife and children (in September 477). However, the Easter Chronicle reports that it was in the baptismal church of Hagia Sophia. The church fell victim to flames during the Nika revolt (in January 532). Justinian rebuilt it again, extensive enough that Procopius could say that there were no churches as large in Constantinople, with the exception of Hagia Sophia. In December 564, a new fire that devastated the quarter destroyed the atrium and part of the narthex of St. Irene. She was restored again. Vita s. Gregorii Agrigentini claims that a council was held there in 588. Then, for more than a century and a half, not a single document mentions the sanctuary. On October 26, 738, it was seriously damaged by a strong earthquake that devastated Thrace. It is impossible to say with certainty when the temple was rebuilt, but it must not have happened under Leo III, as is usually claimed. This sovereign died on June 18, 740 and, apparently, had to restore, first of all, the walls of the City, which had suffered significant damage. Probably, the Church of St. Irene was rebuilt under his son Constantine V (740-775). In 859, Patriarch Ignatius held a council there, which pronounced the deposition of his rival Photius.

We find no more traces of Saint Irene in Byzantine documents later than the 10th century, except for the writings of patriographers. However, Pachymer mentions that in 1283 Germanus was ordained there, and was appointed metropolitan of Herakleia of Thracia. Russian pilgrims talk about the temple only in passing, without attaching any significance to it. It can be said with reasonable certainty that services were held in the church until the capture of Constantinople in 1453. Patriographers call itπατριαρχεῖον - probably because the patriarch served there when there were no large ceremonies held in Hagia Sophia or in other churches, so that Hagia Irene can be considered as a patriarchal chapel. Writers call herτὴν παλαιάν , τὴν ἀρχαίαν (ancient) to distinguish it from that which was built at Perama by Marcian in the 5th century, and alsoτὴν παλαιὰν καὶ νέαν - perhaps after its restoration in the 8th century.

Ceremonies.
Several special celebrations were celebrated at the Church of St. Irene. On January 23, the memory of Saint Clement, the Hieromartyr of Ancyra, and his fellow sufferer Agafangel was celebrated. The consecration of the temple was celebrated on April 27 or 28, according to the synaxars. On Good Friday, the patriarch delivered a catechetical teaching there, and the patricians were supposed to gather there towards the end of this teaching. When the feast of the Annunciation fell on Great Pentecost, the patriarch celebrated the liturgy there. On the same Good Friday, the Holy Spear was brought from the Imperial Palace and placed on the throne of St. Irene, where the patriarch came to bow to it and cense it, after which it was returned to the Palace. Finally, during the procession, when the tomos or decree of unity of 920 was read, which put an end to the dispute over quadrugamy, the emperor and patriarch went to the Church of St. Irene, where the service was performed.

The Church of Hagia Irene was never converted into a mosque, probably because it was located within the enclosure of the Seraglio. Since the temple was located next to the Janissary barracks, it served as an armory for several centuries. From 1846 to 1874 it housed the Museum of Antiquities, then it became the Military Museum. In 1946 it was cleared of all collections so that archaeological research could be carried out, which was very productive.

Building.
In general, this monument, in the form in which it has survived today, dates back to the era of Justinian. This is a domed basilica, something of a transition between a ceiling basilica and a Byzantine cross church topped with one or more domes. The building itself has a length of 57.50 m outside and 46.25 m inside. The nave is 18 m wide and extends 40 m to the apse. The side naves, separated from the central one by a double row of columns and four powerful supports, are 5 meters wide.

The atrium, located in front of the narthex, was extensively rebuilt by the Turks. In general, it dates back to the 8th century. It has the shape of a parallelepiped measuring between 45 and 41.25 m by 33.75 m. The internal gallery is entirely Turkish; The buildings surrounding the entrance door in the north and bordering the apse from the outside are also Turkish.

The church is topped with two domes. One, whose internal diameter is 16 meters, is semicircular, rests on four powerful supports and covers most of the nave; the other, low, elliptical in shape, is located between the first and the narthex. The narthex is topped with three vaults. The semicircular apse has a passage around its circumference, which allowed one to pass from one end to the other without crossing the altar. It is believed that it dates back to the 8th century.

On the capitals there are monograms of Justinian or Theodora. All the carvings date back to the era of this basileus. Mosaics appear here and there, more or less damaged or covered with painting. They are especially clearly visible on the triumphal arch and in the apse dome. In the latter there is a large cross standing on a pedestal of four steps. The arch contains two mosaic inscriptions, both from the 6th century, as they have the same characteristic features as the inscriptions in the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus. The lower inscription is taken from Psalm 64, 5 next:Δευτ᾿ εἰσόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τοῦ οἴκου σου· ἅγιος ὁ ναός σου , θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ , ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν ὁ Θ < εὸ > ς ὁ σ < ωτ > ὴρἡμῶν , ἡ ἐλπὶς πάντων τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ μακράν . The top inscription reads as follows:( Ὁ ο ) ἰκοδομῶν εἰς τ ( ὸν οἶκόν σου καὶ ) ἀνάβασιν αὐτοῦ , καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ( τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος εἰς ὑμᾶς ἠλπίσαμε ν εἰς τὸ ὄ ) νομα α ( ὐτοῦ ) . In the room located at the end of the right gallery on the wall you can see a fresco representing two saints whose faces are disfigured.

Near the temple in the 6th century there were twoἀσκητήρια , something like a monastery for nuns, one of whose duties was to sing at funerals, according to the 59th novel of Justinian. The monastery burned down in a fire in December 564.”

Here is the ticket office and the entrance from the north side of the temple

north nave

main dome - now I can’t say what these drawings mean, maybe someone can tell me? It’s not visible from a distance - mosaic or painting, but a large six-pointed star is visible on the sail - these stars are almost invisible, I didn’t even pay attention, only looking at the photo and seeing more early photograph from the Encyclopedia Britannica drew attention to these stars.

Britannica

north wall of the temple

altar apse with an “iconoclastic cross”, I wonder if it was in this temple that Constantine Copronymus ordered a portrait of his favorite racer to be painted on the wall instead of an icon?


the columns and all the remaining stone carvings have been preserved from the time of Justinian, pay attention to the ceiling - traces of paintings are visible, then there will be more photos with fragments of ancient paintings showing through.

south nave

western part of the south nave

column capital.

internal narthex, remains of mosaics visible

view from the narthex to the northern nave, the ramp leading to the current entrance and exit from the temple is visible

entrance to the choirs, to which I was not allowed, despite persuasion - forbidden! The construction is recent, it is the equipment of a concert hall; the Istanbul music festival has been held in the temple for a long time.

view from the narthex towards the altar.

view from the temple towards the main entrance from the narthex

first column of the north nave

Western choirs, probably like in St. Sofia is the home of the Empress - pay attention to the preserved marble parapet, there are similar ones in Sofia

southwestern part

staircase leading to the choir

the floor is apparently not ancient, but I can’t say from what time (experts can help), the wall cladding has been stripped almost everywhere and probably a long time ago, only in one place is something partially preserved, see below

remains of marble cladding on the bottom of the walls, quite authentic

The cornices are also probably original

column base

capital and small dome

masonry

eastern part of the northern nave

remains of mosaics in the narthex

the outer courtyard of the temple, they are not allowed there, according to descriptions it was rebuilt under the Turks

still remains of mosaics in the narthex

balcony

more mosaics - in the western semicircles of the narthex

masonry - blue-green remains of plaster (?)

vault masonry

door on the west side south. nave, cornice may be ancient, not sure if original

this is what remains of the paintings in the southern nave - there are no more traces in other parts of the temple

wall

small dome

another staircase - on the south side

northern row of columns

once again the main dome

uncooperative security guard

once again the main entrance to the temple (on the west side)


I didn’t have a wide-angle lens with me, I was filming on a point-and-shoot camera, so the large volume of the temple is not visible

masonry in the narthex

vault over the inner porch of the temple

view from the modern entrance towards the narthex

external photos: masonry cornices

excavated parts of ancient foundations

according to Ivanov between St. Irina and Sofia were located in one of the most famous hospitals of KPlya, mainly the poor and homeless were treated there for free, and the level was such that some nobles tried to get into this hospital

there are no external or internal decorations left, but the temple is still beautiful and majestic, in the best sense

south wall

and here is the still preserved sign of the cross on the pilaster

Give us your peace, O One Lover of Mankind!

On April 26, rain was predicted in Istanbul, and I decided to visit museums. But first, of course, I went to the complex around Hagia Sophia, to admire its thousand-year-old walls, take a look at the Blue Mosque on the other side of the square, and see what was going on at the excavation site of the imperial palace. I was surprised to see that the Church of St. Irene, about which, is now open to visitors.

But in order, it is not clear when the ruins of the imperial palace will be opened for visits; visually everything remains the same as last year.

The excavations near Irina were not touched, everything remained as it was, only it became even more overgrown. To the side of the excavations, all sorts of archaeological debris was deposited; in another Crimean museum, this would be considered a museum exhibit. For example, this base for a column of the Corinthian order, if I'm not mistaken, with a built-in hatch :)

One enters Irina itself through a side door in the northern wall, with Turkish decoration. The main entrance, as in Hagia Sophia, is located in the west, but the preserved Byzantine atrium (the only one that has survived to this day) is not allowed from that side; the wall of the Topkapi palace complex and wall buildings are closely adjacent to it.

I have already written about this one of the oldest Byzantine churches, which was founded by Constantine the Great, and in the middle of the 4th century, despite its name (eirene - “divine world”), it became the scene of bloody religious strife between the Orthodox and Arians (three thousand people were killed right in the temple). Saint Irene repeatedly burned and suffered from earthquakes, therefore it acquired its final form only in the 8th century. And the walls bear traces of past centuries, but the passage inside has been restored to its original state.

The story of Irina after the Ottoman conquest is bizarre. Deciding that one Hagia Sophia mosque in the area was enough for them, the Turks turned it into an arsenal, thanks to which it retained both its appearance and internal architecture. The design, of course, has not been preserved, however, the frescoes were lost in the era of iconoclasm, and the internal cladding of the walls did not survive the Ottomans. But Irina has a lot of internal space, a kind of model of the world itself, which is hidden in its name.

In terms of architecture, Hagia Irene is not a masterpiece embodied in stone, which is Sofia next door. Traditional for early Christian architecture, a nave with two borders separated by a colonnade. Notice how symmetrical the appearance of the columns is on the left and right sides.

The main decoration remained only a huge cross on the semi-dome, preserved from the time of iconoclasm above the semicircular ambulatory with rows. They are not allowed there, repeating the theme of many mosques, which are accessible to tourists only on about a third of the total area.

I carefully walked around everything where I could walk. Once upon a time, the walls at the base were decorated with stone slabs geometric shapes, they are partially preserved.

On the walls themselves, judging by the holes in the masonry, there was some kind of cladding, lost over time, perhaps marble.

Early Christian symbols on the capitals of the columns are still preserved.

Theoretically, there will be an exhibition of Ottoman weapons on the second floor (this is a former arsenal), but they are not allowed there yet, although there are stairs. From the previous occupation of the temple, a typical Ottoman design with weapons under the dome remained, repeating many Ottoman coats of arms.

The main entrance is, of course, blocked, but the barred window shows that during the restoration inside the church, all Turkish layers were removed, but the narthex remained made in the Ottoman style. It is unclear what is currently in the atrium.

If the floor of the cathedral is covered with modern tiles, then in front of the closed entrance it is bizarrely adjacent to the Byzantine stone flooring.

in K-field [Church of the Holy Peace, Ancient Church, Patriarchal Church; Greek Ναὸς τῆς ῾Αγίας Εἰρήνης, ῾Αγία Εἰρήνη, Παλαιὰ Εἰρήνη, Παλαιὰ α) ᾿Εκκλησία, πατριαρχεῖον; lat. Ecclesia Antiqua], one of the oldest and largest Christians. temples of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire; founded no later than the beginning. IV century, the surviving building was erected by the emperor. Justinian in the 30-50s. VI century; Later it was partially rebuilt several times. Currently time - part of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul.

Story

The exact time of the emergence of Christ. temple on the site of I. x. unknown. The temple is located on the outskirts of the urban territory of ancient Byzantium, near the so-called. Greek wall of the ancient city. Probably here already at the beginning. IV century there was a meeting place for Christians. communities. Church historian of the 5th century. Socrates Scholasticus mentions that in Byzantium before the era of the emperor. Constantine I the Great were Christians. community and humble temple (Socr. Schol. Hist. eccl. I 16). It is also known about the episcopal throne in Byzantium. For confident identification of I. x. There is not enough information about the earliest temple of Byzantium. According to the majority of Byzantines. sources, I. x. was erected in the 20-30s. IV century imp. Constantine, who, according to Socrates Scholasticus, gave him a new name - in honor of the Holy Myra (Ibidem; Theoph. Chron. P. 23; Georg. Mon. Chron. P. 501; Phot. Bibl. Cod. 257; Patria CP. 1901. T. 1. P. 18, 74). The name of the temple signified the victory of the emperor in 324. Constantine won victory in the struggle for sole power and the establishment of peace throughout the Roman Empire after many years of civil wars. The name initially had a political meaning. Similar structures in honor of the establishment of peace were widely known in Rome. state traditions. These are the altar of the World Imp. Augustus Octavianus (Ara Pacis Augustae), erected on the Campus Martius in Rome after the end of the long wars between 13 and 9 AD. BC; Temple of Peace, built in Rome by the Emperor. Vespasian after the victory in the Jewish War (70 AD). Thus, construction of I. x. in K-field it became a continuation of the Roman tradition, but significantly updated by Christ. worldview. The ideas of the early Byzantines about the name I. x. reflected in the remark of the historian Procopius of Caesarea (mid-6th century) that both the “Holy World” (I.H.) and the “Holy Wisdom” (Church of St. Sophia) are sacred properties of God, to whom in reality both main Polish temples were dedicated (Mathews. 1971. P. 79).

Since the construction of the K-Polish basilica of St. Sophia dragged on until 360, the main city temple during this period remained I. x. After 360, the consecrated Basilica of St. Sophia became a cathedral, but the significance of I. x. preserved. Both churches continued to be used simultaneously: they formed a single clergy, who performed divine services in St. Sophia on holidays and Sundays, and in I. Kh. - on weekdays. The temples are located 110 m from each other; their close position is repeatedly mentioned in historical sources (Socr. Schol. Hist. eccl. II 6). The temples are oriented along one axis to the southeast; they had a single enclosure, and a single socio-religious complex was gradually built around them. buildings of various services of the K-Polish Patriarchate, the palace of the patriarch and his office - the Great Church (Μεγάλη ᾿Εκκλησία; Ibid. II 16). During periods of long construction of the Church of St. Sofia, and then its numerous reconstructions and repairs, the main events of Christ. K-field lives were concentrated in I. x. This church gradually acquired the role of a temple at the patriarchal residence.

In 336 Bp. Alexander K-polsky locked himself in I. x. and several days I prayed for God's help in resolving the dispute with the Arians, since at that time imp. Constantine demanded that he accept Arius into church communion. The conflict was resolved with the unexpected death of Arius (Ibid. I 37-38; Sozom. Hist. eccl. II 29-30; Theodoret. Hist. eccl. I 14; Theoph. Chron. P. 32-33). In 337 in I. x. was ordained Bishop of St. Paul's K-Pol. Paul the Confessor, but soon due to the opposition of the party of supporters of the deacon. Macedonia he was deposed and exiled to Thessalonica (Socr. Schol. Hist. eccl. II 6-7; Sozom. Hist. eccl. III 3-4; Theodoret. Hist. eccl. I 19). Eusebius of Nicomedia became bishop, after his death in 341 St. Paul tried to return to the pulpit. When the prefect of K-field Philip, by order of the emperor. Constantius II drove Macedonia (whom he supported) in a chariot to I. x. for ordination, near the temple they met fierce resistance from a crowd of people. The soldiers accompanying the prefect forcibly paved the way to the temple, and 3,150 inhabitants died: some died under the pressure of the crowd, some were killed by the prefect’s guards (Socr. Schol. Hist. eccl. II 16; Sozom. Hist. eccl. III 7; Theodoret. eccl. I 14; From this moment until 380, church power in K-pol remained in the hands of the Arians, and the temple also belonged to them. According to the Life of the martyr. Stephen the New, in 381 in I. x. Meetings of the Second Ecumenical Council were held, which finally approved the Creed and condemned Arianism (Vita S. Stephani Junioris // PG. 100. Col. 1144). St. John Chrysostom, during the period of his episcopate in K-pol (398-404), preached a number of sermons in I. ch. In 404, during the unrest caused by the exile of St. John Chrysostom, the Basilica of St. Sophia was burned, and until 415 AD. was the main city temple. According to legend, in 447 in I. x. a boy was buried, ascended to heaven during an earthquake in K-pol and who heard the angelic singing of the Trisagion there (ActaSS. Sept. T. 4. P. 687; SynCP. Col. 426). In 465, a large fire that destroyed part of the center of the K-field almost spread to I. Kh., but this time the temple was not damaged (Evagr. Schol. Hist. eccl. II 13; the historian here calls I. Kh. temple “ Unanimity", ῾Ομονοίας).

13-15 Jan. 532, during the Nika uprising, I. x. burned down, like the entire center of the K-field. Procopius of Caesarea, a witness to the events, wrote that a strong wind threw the flame from the roof of the palace of the praetorian prefect to I. x., the fire destroyed the baths of Alexander and the hospice houses of Eubulus and Samsonius along with their patients along its path (Procop. Bella. I 24; Idem. De aedificiis. Chron. 622; Cedrenus G. Vol. 647-648; P. 154-155). The restoration of the temple was included in the big project of the imp. Justinian for the construction on the site of the ruins of a new center of the K-field, including the Cathedral of St. Sophia. The preserved architectural appearance of I. x. mostly dates back to the era of Justinian. On Dec. 564 (or 563) a new fire in K-pol destroyed a significant part of the buildings of the center, including 2 monasteries next to the I.H., as well as part of its atrium and narthex (Theoph. Chron. P. 240 ). Probably, the losses were soon restored.

Oct 26 740 I. x. suffered greatly from the earthquake (Niceph. Const. Brev. hist. P. 59; Theoph. Chron. P. 412). The reconstruction was carried out in the next few weeks. years, most likely after the approval of the emperor on the throne. Constantine V (743).

Their. mentioned again in sources in 859 in connection with the history of the struggle between the church parties of St. Ignatius and St. Photius for the Patriarchal throne. Expelled in 858 from K-field by St. Ignatius, when leaving, imposed a ban on holding services in St. Sophia. Supporters of St. Photius, enthroned in place of St. Ignatius, occupied the Cathedral of St. Apostles, but several. bishops who supported St. Ignatius, sat for 40 days in I. x. and announced the deposition of St. Photius (Mansi. T. 15. Col. 211; T. 16. Col. 416). The decision of this Council did not come into effect, since the majority of the church clergy and imp. Michael III at that time supported St. Photia.

In 923, imp. Roman I Lekapin issued a politically important decree, according to which, under very strict restrictions, the conclusion of a 3rd marriage was allowed, but a 4th marriage was condemned. The decree was intended to end the confrontation between supporters and opponents of the 3rd marriage of the emperor that had lasted for 15 years. Leo VI the Wise. On the occasion of the reconciliation of the parties, it was established that a solemn service should be held annually in July in I. x.; then a church procession, in which the patriarch and the emperor took part. the family was heading to St. Sophia Cathedral (Const. Porphyr. De cerem. I 45 (36)).

According to sources of the 10th century. it is known about some special liturgical ceremonies that took place in I. h. 23 Jan The martyr was commemorated here. Clement of Ancyra (SynCP. Col. 417); The consecration of the temple was celebrated on April 27 or 28. (Ibid. P. 631-632); on Good Friday the patriarch performed a service for the catechumens, that is, the catechumens (Const. Porphyr. De cerem. I 43 (34)). Also on Good Friday from the reliquary of the Emperor. The Great Palace (or the Temple of Our Lady of Fara) in I. x. carried out for veneration of St. copy ( Dmitrievsky A. A. The most ancient patriarchal typikons. K., 1907. S. 137-138).

After the 10th century Their. almost not mentioned in Byzantium. sources. Probably, the temple lost its significance after it was built in the 12th-13th centuries. the political center of K-pol and partly the Patriarchal residence gradually moved to Blachernae. Nevertheless, until 1453 I. x. retained its position as one of the oldest temples in K-field.

From 1464, during the era of Ottoman rule, the temple was included in the territory of the Sultan's Topkapi Palace and was used as a barracks for the Janissary palace guards. In 1726, under Sultan Ahmed III, in I. x. stored weapons; The building was commonly called Ich Jebehane (Arsenal). In a number of places, buttresses were attached to the walls to strengthen them. In 1846, a museum tour was located in the temple. war trophies. In 1875, a department of antiquities was organized at the museum, among which Byzantium was on display. sarcophagi, a chain stretched across the Golden Horn during the siege of 1453, a monument to the hippodrome charioteer Porfiry, a pedestal for a silver statue of the emperor. Evdokia. In 1894, Russian. researcher D.F. Belyaev, as part of a scientific mission from the Russian Academy of Culture, visited the museum, accompanied by Turkish guides and ambassadors. He described the architecture of the temple, as well as ancient weapons hung on the walls of the altar and laid out on the syntron, which was covered with wood instead of marble. In I. x. the mission was caught in an earthquake; The temple quickly became covered with cracks right up to the drum due to strong tremors, but no one was injured.

In 1939 from I. x. The Turkish exhibition was removed and it was transferred to the Museum of St. Sophia. In the 20th century During archaeological research, burials from the Byzantine era were discovered to the south of the temple, and to the southeast of it - a large water tank. Currently Currently, the temple is partially open to the public as a branch of the St. Sophia Museum.

Architecture

The Church of St. Sophia and St. Nicholas, forming a single liturgical whole, were the main symbol of the ecclesiastical and political power of the capital and the empire. Their. (external dimensions 100x34 m, internal dimensions - 97x28.5 m) was one of the largest architectural projects of the imp. Justinian. In area it was surpassed only by the churches of St. Sophia (532-537; 77×71 m) and most likely St. Apostolov (536-550; exact dimensions unknown) (see: Mathews. 1971. P. 78). Procopius writes that the area of ​​I. x. was smaller only than the area of ​​​​the Cathedral of St. Sophia (Procop. De aedificiis. I. 2, 13). Among the basilicas I. x. was the longest in length, but the Basilica of the Virgin of Chalcopratia (between 450 and 460; approx. 69x31 m) exceeded it in width.

In architecture I. x. There are 4 main construction stages: during the reign of Constantine, when the church was a simple basilica; the construction of a domed basilica under Justinian after 532; reconstruction after the fire of 564 and after the earthquake of 740. In the present day. time I. x. - 3-nave domed basilica with narthex, atrium and 5-sided apse with vima.

Naos

Their. consists of a central dome space and a smaller compartment adjacent to it from the west. The square central space is covered with a dome on the drum. The drum has complex outlines: at the base there is a square with rounded corners, which closer to the window openings takes the shape of a regular circle, turning into a low dome. The transition from powerful girth arches to the drum is carried out through sails of a regular triangular shape. North and south the arches reach the outer walls, i.e. forming the sleeves of the dome cross to the entire depth of the side naves. East the girth arch covers the vima and is connected to the apse conch through a 2-stepped triumphal arch. Zap. the dome arch also serves as a support for the vault of the west. naos compartment. It is covered with a domed vault of complex elliptical shape; his north and south the supporting arches also extend to the outer walls. The central dome rests on powerful pylons, between which there are 4 columns, which serve as supports for the choirs above the side naves. In zap. in the compartment these choirs are supported on each side by a column and a powerful pylon. Together with the choirs above the narthex, they form a U-shaped circuit around the central nave in the 2nd tier. In the spaces between the domed pylons, the choirs are open to the central space and are fenced off only by low colonnades. The entrance to the naos is from the atrium through the narthex, as well as directly through the doors to the west. parts of the northern nave and central part of the south. Relatively recently, 2 more entrances, laid at a later time, were discovered, flanking an internal niche of unknown purpose in the central part of the northern part. nave, raised above floor level.

The side naves are covered with transverse box vaults separating each of the herbs. Since they rest on arches of different levels (transverse, thrown from the imposts of the colonnades to the partitions between the windows on the outer wall, longitudinal in the colonnades and wall above the windows), they represent an uneven surface. However, when lined up in a row, they form a beautiful perspective of curved surfaces. Thin and graceful marble columns separating the naves (1 in the western and 4 in the eastern compartments of the colonnades) contrast with powerful brick pylons. They are simple in decor: instead of complexly profiled bases, they stand on square pedestals. The capitals were turned into trapezoidal imposts with volutes, belonging to the so-called. pseudoionic order. On the side of the central nave, a cross is carved on them in low relief, and on the side of the side naves they are decorated with monograms of the imp. Justinian and the Emperor Theodora, the same as in the Church of St. Sophia. This is a rather modest decision, since usually the monograms of emperors occupied a more prominent place in the decoration of the temple.

The narthex is slightly wider than the naos and atrium. It consists of 5 cells: the lateral ones are covered with the original cross vaults, the rest are covered with cylindrical longitudinal and cross (central) vaults erected in the tour. time. From each cell, doors led into the atrium - into 3 central rectangular portals with arched windows above them and into 2 side arched, higher ones (now blocked up). At the level of the vaulted structures of the lower tier there is a Byzantine cornice. time, which covers the entire perimeter of the temple. There is a vaulted gallery above the narthex: in its corner rooms Byzantine cross vaults have been preserved. time, 3 central vaulted cells already belong to the tour. perestroika. There are 5 windows in the western wall of the gallery facing the atrium; the same number of windows in the eastern wall are directed towards the central nave and side galleries. The surviving narthex belongs to the period of the 2nd Justinian construction. The previous one was occupied by zap. part of the existing app. compartment of the naos: massive supports under the choir mark its east. border. It did not exceed the width of the temple.

The apse, polygonal on the outside, has a regular semicircular shape in the interior. In the eastern part of the temple, the naves end with domed compartments reminiscent of pastophoria. They are located on the sides of the vima and have doorways on the north, south and east, decorated with monumental portals. East the doors originally led outside, but after 532 (Mathews 1971, p. 84) irregularly shaped rooms were added to the sides of the apse. The masonry of the eastern compartments of the naves is a rough alternating combination of 5-6 rows of brick and 3-4 rows of stone. For a long time they were considered isolated and were taken for additional apses of the temple, as a result of which O. Wulff’s theory of a 3-part sanctuary arose (Wulff O. Altchristliche und byzantinische Kunst. B., 1913. Bd. 1. S. 384) and F. V. Deichmann - about I. x. as a prototype of 3-apse altars in the Middle Ages. Italy (Deichmann F. W. Caratteristiche dell "architettura proto-bizantina nel occidente // Corsi di cultura sull "arte ravennate e bizantina. Ravenna, 1957. Vol. 5. R. 54).

There is a lot of light in the temple, penetrating through a large number of windows in the drum, altar, and walls. Some of the windows now have rectangular outlines, but are Byzantine. At the time, they all had a semicircular ending. The windows are so wide that they turn the walls into a thin membrane that does not bear the weight of the dome thrust and is completely dampened by massive supports. In the altar above the sintron there are 3 windows, the largest in size; their axes diverge along radii from a single center. The drum is cut through with smaller windows, there are 20 of them in total (only 5 are open at present). On the side walls there are windows of equal sizes, making up a 4-tier composition, initially symmetrical (in Turkish times, several openings were built). The lower tier, with the uneven distribution of doors and window openings above them, corresponds to the level of the naves; the remaining 3 are on the gallery level. In the central compartment from the north. and south On the sides, above 2 rows of 5 windows, 3 windows are placed, completing the lunettes of the walls (laid in the northern wall). In the western, narrower one, a similar composition is cut down on one axis. The windows were probably located in the same way on the west side. wall.

Modern appearance of I. x. is in many ways similar to the appearance of St. Sophia Cathedral. Northern surfaces and south The membrane walls are slightly recessed and outlined by huge arches corresponding to the protrusions of the dome sleeves. The arches are completed with gables formed by double-pitched roofs over the dome sleeves. Small tongs are placed between them, completing the wide central blades and complementing the overall rhythm of the design of the side walls. The partitions between the windows of the main drum are turned into small buttresses, above which a flat dome rises. Roof over the vault of the west. compartment is so low that it is barely visible from the outside.

Decoration

According to A. van Millingen, all wall surfaces in the interior were covered with marble cladding. This assumption is supported by the large number of marble fragments and metal staples found in the masonry. The upper zones of the temple - the dome, sails, domed arches, conch - were covered with mosaics. The mosaic of the conch has been preserved: on a gold background with green soil there is a gold cross with a black border, resting on a 3-step pedestal. There are 2 mosaic inscriptions on the triumphal arch. The lower one corresponds to Ps 65. 5-6 (Ps 64 in the Septuagint version): “Γλησθησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τοῦ οἴκου σου̇ ἅγι ὀ ωτ)ὴρ ἡμῶν, ἡ "Let us be satisfied with the blessings of Your house, the holy temple T fearful in justice, hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are far off at sea). The top inscription is damaged (the letters shown in square brackets are painted on where the mosaic has been destroyed and do not appear to match what was originally written); The meaning is restored hypothetically - “[῾ο ο] ἰκοδομῶν τς τ [ὸν οἰκόν σου κα] ἀνάβασιν αὐτοῦ, κα τὴν ὴπαγελίαν [τοῦ τγίου πνεύμαicket εἰς τὸ ὄ] νομα α [ὐτοῦ] ”. Van Millingen (1912. P. 95-96) reconstructs the inscription based on sayings from Am 9. 6 ὐτοῦ κα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπ τῆς γῆς θεμελιῶν) and Ps 32 2-1 and Isa 26. 8 (ἠλπείσαμεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ): “He built His palaces on high in the heavens and established His dome on the earth; we trust in His Name." The inscriptions are placed in a frame of floral motifs. Remains of ornamental mosaics, similar to those preserved in the Church of St. Sophia, survived in the soffits of the arches. Based on the composition of the visual motifs, most of the mosaics can be attributed to the iconoclastic period (between 726 and 785), when St. the cross became the main iconographic motif and replaced the plural. in churches there are former images of Christ, the Mother of God and saints (Ibid. P. 102). In addition, this mosaic could have been damaged in 740, and it could have been replaced with a new one. The same iconographic program with a quotation from Ps 65. 5-6 originally decorated the apse conch of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Thessalonica (80s of the 8th century). The inscription from Ps 65.5-6 is also found in the temple of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in K-pol (mid-6th century), i.e. the original texts of the inscriptions probably appeared in the era of Justinian.

Of the liturgical decoration of the altar, only the 6-level syntron with steps of 55-60 cm (except for the top, equal to 45 cm) has been preserved. A study of the masonry made it possible to determine that none of them belongs to the initial stage of construction. Like the lower parts of the walls of the central nave, the base of the syntron is made of square stone blocks, although of smaller dimensions. The seats on top were made of brick. Under the syntron there is a semicircular corridor, which was illuminated through several. holes located on the 4th stage. The arched vaults of this corridor are lined with brick, and the entrances are decorated with modest profiled portals, typical of the time of Justinian. Similar corridors, going around the syntron from the outside or located inside it, are often found in Asia Minor architecture (Temple of John the Evangelist in Ephesus, 565; basilicas on the island of Gemiler (Greek Levissos; near Fethiye) 6th century?). This is a characteristic feature of the K-Polish circle of monuments, although its origin most likely needs to be sought in the building tradition of Roman theaters.

The altar barrier has not survived, and it is now impossible to determine its exact configuration. It can be assumed that she was traditional. U-shaped, and the ciborium above the throne stood along the axis of the sintron. The pulpit was mentioned during the time of Patriarch Photius (858-867, 877-886), but there is no information about its location. The floor was re-tiled with stone slabs during the tour. times, no traces of the former pavement remained.

Atrium

Currently time atrium I. x. has a double bypass: an internal portico tour. time and Byzantium. external vaulted bypass. The oldest Byzantines. parts date back to the period after 564, when the previous atrium was destroyed by fire, as mentioned in the work of Theophanes (Mathews. 1971. P. 81); there is no information about his appearance. Neat layers of brick with occasional splashes of green stone, found in the internal portico and similar to the masonry of the atrium of St. Sophia, allowed P. Grossman to reconstruct the arcades built after 564 (Grossman. 1965). He also discovered in the south. portico remains of Byzantium. arcades, consisting of 2-column cells, above which there were triple small arches: the atrium was 2-storey (Mathews. 1976. P. 103). In 740, a reconstruction was carried out in the atrium, as a result of which its appearance changed greatly. The supports were strengthened and expanded, the columns were removed, and the triple arches were converted into single-span ones, as can be judged from the remains of the south. portico. The masonry technique was replaced by 2 layers of brick alternating with each other and one layer of crushed red stone. Most likely sowing. The side of the atrium was built similarly to the south, i.e. in the form of an arcade. What did the app look like? part after 740 is difficult to determine. Of all the possible options for its reconstruction, Grossman chose the most elegant one, according to which a cubic compartment was located in the center, and on its sides there were 3 arched openings. In addition to the 5 passages to the narthex, 2 more doorways led into the atrium from the north, and one from the south opened into a corridor richly decorated with marble cladding, which ran parallel to the south. wall of the temple along secondary buildings (large open courtyard, tomb, cistern). In one of the rooms next to the narthex, the remains of a staircase leading to the temple galleries were discovered. It ran from west to east and consisted of 3 staircases rising 9 m to the level of the galleries; The first of them has been preserved (at 3 m), with a portal decorated with large limestone blocks. This site was discovered as a result of excavations by Ramazanoglu in the 40s. XX century (Idem. 1971. P. 79).

Skevophylakion

At the north-east corner of the temple, F. Dirimtekin discovered a round building, which was presumably a skeuofylakion (Dirimtekin. 1962); unfortunately, it was not accurately measured and recorded. In general, it was a rotunda with a diameter of 4 m, inscribed in a square with a side of 5.25 m. The masonry is identical to that used in the construction of a small extension to the east. sides, but there is a seam between them, which indicates a later period of construction. The masonry technique is a rough combination of brick and stone dressings (5-6 brick, 3-4 stone rows). It is similar to that used in the atrium in 740 (2 bricks, then a row of stones). Thus, the skeuofylakion can be dated to a time after 740 (Mathews. 1971. P. 84-85).

Dating and analysis

In science there is no unambiguous point of view. to date parts of the surviving building. There is a version that the building of 532 was erected on an old foundation, although it has a more elongated shape (Belyaev. 1894. P. 783; Mathews. 1976. P. 102). According to W. George, the narthex of Constantine has 2 massive intermediate supports in the west. parts of the naos (George. 1913), which not all researchers agree with (Mathews. 1976. P. 102). To 532 George dates the level up to the cornices on the piers of the main nave, laid out in cut stones; the masonry of the upper parts of the building, where brick and stone layers alternate (opus mixtum), and some areas are lined only with brick, was carried out after 740. By 564 he attributes only flat belts of bricks with random inserts of green stones in the atrium and narthex. From view R. Krautheimer (Krautheimer. 1987. P. 249-253), the temple retained the plan of 532 (including the premises at the eastern ends of the naves). Above the side naves there were vaulted galleries, west. The naos compartment was covered with 2 barrel vaults. He hypothetically reconstructs the space under the dome on the model of what was preserved in the Cathedral of St. Sophia: above the side galleries that opened into the naos with triple arcades (similar forms were preserved in Qasr-Ibn-Vardan, Syria, mid-6th century, and Alahan , Turkey, late 5th century), there was a cleristory area with “segmented windows”. The vault area and the dome were destroyed in 740 and restored with some changes. The vaults above the side galleries were dismantled, the girth arches were continued to the outer walls and turned into the sleeves of a clearly defined domed cross (see also: Komech. 1987. pp. 17-18). According to the opinion expressed by J. Ebersolt and developed by T. Matthews, the entire building, together with the dome, was erected under the emperor. Justinians (Mathews. 1976. P. 102). The narthex, like the atrium, belongs to the period of reconstruction after 564; the previous narthex was located 8 m to the east (see above). One way or another, the appearance of the building, even if it underwent significant alterations as a result of damage in 564 and 740, was generally determined by the original plan of 532.

Architecture I. x. as traditional The domed basilica represented an important, but not the main direction of church construction under the emperor. Justinians; the best achievements of that time were associated with the development of grandiose domed churches - Saints Sergius and Bacchus and St. Sophia in K-pol, St. Vitaliy in Ravenna (527-548). Hagia Sophia is also a domed basilica, but it is traditional. the type of construction received a completely new, bold interpretation, the typological boundaries were actually overcome. Domed basilicas spread to Byzantium in the 5th century. (in Meriamlik (474-491) and Alahan, both in Turkey) and became one of the leading architectural types under the empire. Justinians: Church of St. Sergius in Gaza (before 536, Palestine), “Basilica B” in Philippi (before 540, Greece), the temple of St. ap. John the Theologian in Ephesus (completed by 565, Turkey), the church in Qasr-Ibn-Vardan (mid-6th century, Syria), etc. They were built primarily not in the capital, and probably this type developed in Asia or Asia somewhere else in the Middle East.

In I. x. There are a number of features that indicate an orientation towards previous basilicas. Many are repeated here. details of the K-Polish Studian basilica (463): a multifaceted apse with a syntron, U-shaped galleries above the naos and narthex, numerous entrances from the atrium to the narthex. True, the most archaic parts (for example, entablatures above the colonnades) are not repeated. When comparing I. x. with basilicas of the 5th century. It is impossible not to note the important changes that have occurred over the century in construction technology and in the style of decoration of temples. Heavy masonry was replaced by brick or mixed masonry, which made it possible to significantly reduce the volume of supports and the thickness of the walls and increase the window area. Only the galleries of temples rest on columns, and the main load-bearing elements are brick or stone supports. The fashion for details is changing noticeably. The classical order is gradually becoming obsolete. Corinthian capital, 5th century. was still popular and received the richest development, it is being replaced by a square impost. It is sometimes covered with a dense network of acanthus leaves, but more often it is left without sculptural treatment. The Ionic capital, which has already merged with the impost block, is increasingly simplified and loses its characteristic Greco-Roman features, turning into pseudo-Ionic - these are the capitals that are present in I. x. The horizontal entablature is last found in the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus; in I. x. Arcades are used everywhere, even in the atrium. The number of churches with mosaic floor decoration is sharply decreasing, which is being replaced by geometric compositions of marble cladding or cladding using the opus sectile technique. Decoration and structural details of I. x. made in accordance with these trends, universal for the entire era.

Construction of I. h. gave the traditional domed basilica a new, official status. It became an integral part of the capital's architectural style, which led to the spread of various variants of this type of temple and, moreover, to the reconstruction of classical basilica buildings into domed basilicas (for example, the basilica near Pirdop, Bulgaria, late 6th century).

Lit.: Belyaev D.F. Church of St. Irene and the earthquake in the K-field on June 28, 1894 // VV. 1894. T. 1. P. 769-798; aka. External and internal view of the Church of St. Irene in K-Pole // Ibid. 1895. T. 2. P. 177-183; Van Millingen A. Byzantine Churches in Constantinople: Their History and Architecture. L., 1912. P. 84-105; Ebersolt J., Theirs A. Les églises de Constantinople. P., 1913. P. 55-72; George W. S. The Church of St. Eirene at Constatinople. L., 1913; Dirimtekin F. Les fouilles faites en 1946-1947 et en 1958-1960 entre St. Sophie et St. Iréne à Istanbul // Cah. Arch. 1962. Vol. 13. P. 161-185; Grossmann P. Zum Atrium der Irenenkirche in Istanbul // IstMitt. 1965. Bd. 15. S. 186-207; Janin. Les églises et monastères. P. 103-106; Mathews Th. F. The Early Churches of Constantinople: Architecture and Liturgy. Univ. Park (Pen.), 1971; idem. The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul: A Photographic Survey. Univ. Park (Pen.), 1976; Strube C. Die westliche Eingangsseite der Kirchen von Konstantinopel in justinianischer Zeit. Wiesbaden, 1973. S. 106-117; Müller-Wiener W. Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls. Tüb., 1977. S. 112-117; Peschlow U. Die Irenenkirche in Istanbul. Tüb., 1977; Krautheimer R., Ć ur č i ć S. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. New Haven; L., 1986 4; Mango C. A. Byzantine Architecture. L., 1986; Komech A.I. Old Russian architecture. X - start XII century: Byzantium. heritage and the formation of an independent tradition. M., 1987; Krautheimer R. Three Christs. capitals: Topography and politics / Transl. from German: L. A. Belyaev. M., 2000; Kirimtayif S. Converted Byzantine Churches in Istanbul. Istanbul, 2001; Ousterhout R. Byzantine builders / Trans.: L. A. Belyaev. K., 2004.

S. V. Tarkhanova