Hagia Sophia, İznik
 A view of the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea after restoration in 2012. | |
 | |
| Location | İznik, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Material | Roman brick |
| Beginning date | 325 |
| Completion date | 1065 |
| Dedicated to | The Holy Wisdom, a reference to the second person of the Trinity, or Jesus Christ |
| Website | Official website |
Hagia Sophia ( It is in the town centre of İznik, within the old walled area.
History
The first church built on the site was constructed in the 4th century.[1] The church was later rebuilt under the patronage of Emperor Justinian I in the mid-6th century.[3] In 787, it hosted the Second Council of Nicaea, which officially ended the first period of Byzantine Iconoclasm.[4][5] The Justinian-era church was destroyed by an earthquake in the 11th century and the present structure was erected around 1065 over the ruins of the older one.[1]
The Church of Hagia Sophia was converted into the Orhan Mosque following the fall of Nicaea to the
Architecture
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The current basilican structure, much of which dates to the 1065 reconstruction of the church, consists of a central nave with two side aisles. Prior to its remodelling under the Ottomans, the church had two rows of triple arcades on columns that carried a clerestory wall with five windows.[7] Following the building's conversion to a mosque in the 14th century, it underwent renovations that included the addition of a mihrab. During the 16th-century reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, the church was restored after a disastrous fire and a minaret was constructed.[8] The architect Mimar Sinan was also commissioned around this time to design decorations to adorn the walls of the mosque.[1]
The restoration (or rebuilding) of such a historic church so that it could be reused as a mosque was - and remains - very controversial. The work was carried out between 2007 and 2011.[9]
Gallery
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Front of Hagia Sophia in İznik -
Exterior of Hagia Sophia in İznik -
Opus sectile floor in entrance of Hagia Sophia in İznik -
Interior of Hagia Sophia in Iznik -
Synthronon in choir area of Hagia Sophia in İznik -
View of secondary dome in Hagia Sophia in İznik -
Fresco in Hagia Sophia in İznik
See also
- Conversion of non-Islamic places of worship into mosques
- Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
- Second Council of Nicaea
References
- ^ a b c d "İznik". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
- ^ a b "The Church That Politics Turned Into a Mosque". International Herald Tribune. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2017 – via The New York Times.
- ^ Möllers, Sabine (1994). Die Hagia Sophia in Iznik, Nikaia. Alter: Verlag und Datenbank für Geisteswissenschaften.
- ^ "Hagia Sophia in Nicaea". The Byzantine Legacy.
- ^ Noble, Thomas F. X. (2012). Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- ^ "Hagia Sophia in İznik: Historical Church Turned Mosque". June 14, 2018.
- ^ Richard Krautheimer, Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, 4th edition, 1986, p365.
- ^ "Hagia Sophia, 'a mosque of conquest' in İznik". Hürriyet Daily News.
- ^ "Ayasofya Orhan Camiisindeki restorasyon sorunları ufak tefekmiş! haberi". Arkeolojik Haber. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
40°25′46″N 29°43′13″E / 40.42944°N 29.72028°E
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