(day 6) Hagia Irene (Aya Irini)

After a disappointing but filling lunch, I headed over to the Hagia Irene, which is actually located within the walls of Topkapi Palace. When I came here with Ali and Kurt, Ali suggested that I go in and check it out, but I said I would come back again and see it later. Well I'll be damned if I have to pay $5 to go see it! Museum card gogogo!

Hagia Irene, like Hagia Sophia, is a Byzantine church, one of three built by Constantine to dedicate to God's three attributes that they derive their names from: Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), Peace (Hagia Irene), and Power (Hagia Dynamis).

Unlike Hagia Sophia, Hagia Irene was one of the very few Byzantine churches that wasn't converted to a mosque. Instead, the Ottomans used it as an armory, arsenal, and storehouse for war booty (sacrilegious, no?). It is also older than Hagia Sophia, in fact it was the first church commissioned by Constantine. As with all other buildings it is not the exact original structure, it has been rebuilt and fixed up through revolts, fires, and earthquakes.

Despite the interesting history, I was only lukewarm on going to see the Hagia Irene -- another church, and a smaller, less grand version of the Hagia Sophia, which was also not super fascinating? Mmmm pass. Only the lure of free entry $$$$$ pulled me in.

The tell-tale sign of a Byzantine structure, old Byzantine red brick. Despite some being converted to mosques, these old buildings still retain their red brick exterior.

Ok. Hagia Irene is NOTHING like Hagia Sophia. True, it is smaller, but it is so amazing and beautiful inside! There were very few visitors, no guards. The structure looked stable enough, but also like not much renovation had been done to it. It looked old, worn down -- basically everything you would want to see in a 2000 year old church. It just looked so authentic inside. These pillars with their crumbling, mismatched bases.

The large, spacious nave (central part of a church), abandoned, echo-y.

That white mesh cloth stretched across the top did detract from the atmosphere a little, but looking up at how much dirt, feathers, and bird shit it had caught, I am not going to complain.

I also love how bare and un-ornamented everything is, all except this huge cross over the altar area.

This spot in Byzantine churches is usually occupied by a large image of Christ Pantocrator ("All Powerful" or "Rule of All"). However, the Byzantine Empire went through two iconoclastic periods, where Emperor Leo disallowed use of religious symbols, or icons, where icons actually refers to sacred images of saints, Jesus, Mary, etc. This is due to an interpretation of a passage of the Bible, decreeing that its followers should not make or worship "graven icons". Strict obedience to this passage meant no images of religious people at all.

During these iconoclastic periods, countless religious objects and art were destroyed. This large cross in Hagia Irene is a unique vestige of this period, where likely the original image hanging there was destroyed, replaced by a non-human symbol.

The end verdict? I loved Hagia Irene. Like Basilica Cistern, it felt a bit abandoned, spooky, but very real. Places like Hagia Sophia, though much grander, with much more art and architecture to see, ultimately feels kind of like an amusement park (to me).

Strangely enough for a SUPER old building, Hagia Irene is brought back to life every year during the Istanbul International Music Festival, and from time to time as a classic concert hall. It's large atrium and amazing acoustics make it an atmospheric and unique stage for performances.

I would love to come back and see a performance here someday!