Churches That Did not Become Mosques After the Conquest
|
|
Some of the old Byzantine churches within the city were used as warehouses without being turned into mosques or masjids and others were demolished.
 Remains of some churches were discovered during excavations carried out between Sarayburnu and Gülhane between 1921 and 1923. These include the remains of a facade thought to belong to the Soter Church, which can be seen in the city walls by the Side of the coast road at Ahırkapı next to the foundations of the lncirli Pavilion. The ornamental brickwork dating from the 14th century is the most striking feature of this facade.
The brickwork inscription which at one time sur- mounted the ornamental section has, unfortunately, disappeared. The Church of Aya Eirene (Aya lrini) in the outer courtyard of the Topkapı Palace was built at the same time as Ayasofia, and was renewed in the 8th century. After the Ottoman conquest this great church was used as an arsenal and in the middle of the l9th century it became one of the very first Turkish museums. It was the Military Museum until 1939. The semi-dome over the apse of this building, now used as a concert hall, is adorned by a mosaic cross dating from the Iconoclastic Period. It is the only one of the Byzantine churches in Istanbul that still has a covered courtyard. The Khalke Kapısı Church, which stands on the east side of Aya Irini, was built by loannes Tzimiskes (969-976). After the conquest the cellar of this church was used as the Arslanhane, or lions' den and the upper part as the Nakkaşhane, or studio where miniatures were painted. However, this big domed building was demolished some time after 1820. The Church of Aya Euphemia the Martyr, (in which the.relics of the saint were kept), stood next to what are now the Central Law courts. It is thought that this building, which was used as a powder arsenal after the conquest, was destroyed by an explosion that took place in 1490. During a hurricane that struck the city a thunderbolt fell on the building and the resulting explosion scattered fragments of it all over the Sea of Marmara.
This church, the foundations of which remained under ground, was discovered during excavations in 1941. There are frescoes depicting the life of Saint Euphemia on the remains of the wall next to the Central Law courts. By the side of the main road in the Samatya district there are the remains of a round church thought to be that of Saint Karpos or Saint Papylas the Martyr. Apart from the above, the remains of other churches have been uncovered during excavations for the foundations of modern buildings. One of these emerged during the construction of the Faculty of Arts building in 1945. The remains of another church were unearthed during construction of the Faculty of Science annexe. |
