Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii)
Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Istanbul audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Istanbul Istanbul guide
About Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii)
Justinian's experimental domed church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, later an Ottoman mosque, is nicknamed the little sister of Hagia Sophia, though scholars now doubt it was the model.
Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) is a former Byzantine church, the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, built under Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora between about 527 and 536. Tradition holds that Justinian dedicated it after the two soldier-saints vouched for his innocence when he faced execution. Its plan is an octagon inscribed in an irregular quadrilateral, covered by a distinctive umbrella dome, and a Greek dedicatory inscription of twelve hexameters names Justinian, Theodora and Saint Sergius. Although popularly regarded as a model for Hagia Sophia, modern scholarship doubts this, as the two were built at roughly the same time.
It was converted into a mosque around 1506-1513 by Huseyin Aga, chief black eunuch of the Ottoman palace, whose tomb is on the site. Standing beside a coastal railway line, it suffered from vibration and damp before a major restoration was completed in 2006.
Did you know? Its nickname, Little Hagia Sophia, suggests it was a trial run for the great cathedral, but scholars now believe the two were built simultaneously under Justinian, making them rivals rather than prototype and copy.
How long should you spend at Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii)?
Plan about ~45 min at Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) worth visiting?
Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii) is one of the 40 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Istanbul, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Istanbul
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Hear the story of Little Hagia Sophia (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii)
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