Hagia Irene

Istanbul, Turkey

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

ReferenceKulturenvanteri↗
Further readingEncyclopædia Britannica↗

Hagia Irene, located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, is the oldest known church structure in the city, built in the early sixth century. This Byzantine church, whose name means "Holy Peace" in Greek, is one of only two Byzantine churches still standing in Istanbul that were never converted into mosques, having instead been repurposed as an arsenal for weapons storage until the nineteenth century. Today it functions as a museum and concert hall, preserving a rare example of early Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture.