LITTLE HOLINESS (KÜÇÜK AYASOFYA CAMII)

It was built as a church between 527 and 536 on Justinian's initiative, in honor of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, patrons of the Christian centurions of the Roman army. It is considered a forerunner of the nearby basilica, hence its Turkish name of Little Saint Sophia. These two saints are especially popular with Eastern Christians. On the same site, Justinian consecrated another church, which no longer exists, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the preferred saints of Western Christians. The aim was to re-establish the spiritual integrity of the Roman Empire. It was during the reign of Beyazıt II that the church was transformed into a mosque by Hüseyin Ağa, head of the harem's black eunuchs, whose mausoleum was built to the north of the apse.

Exterior. The structure's exterior masonry adopts the usual Constantinople technique of this period, using bricks set in thick beds of mortar. The walls are reinforced with chains of small stone blocks. Many of the building's effects were later used in Hagia Sophia: exedras extend the central nave on diagonal axes, colored columns hide the nave's ambulances, and light and shade contrast deeply on the sculpture of the capitals and entablatures. In front of the building is a portico and courtyard with a small garden, a fountain for ablutions and several small stores. The former medersa is home to a number of craftsmen and a small tea room where you can relax.

Inside. Inside the building is a beautiful two-storey colonnade running along the north, west and south sides and bearing an elegant inscription in twelve Greek hexameters dedicated to the Emperor Justinian, his wife Theodora and St. Sergius, the patron saint of soldiers in the Roman army. For some unknown reason, Saint Bacchus is not mentioned. Built on an irregular octagonal plan, it is covered by a dome 19 m high, resting on 8 polygonal pillars and 34 marble columns, alternately green and red, arranged between the pillars. During the Ottoman conversion to a mosque, the windows and entrance were modified, the floor level was raised and the interior walls were plastered. To the north of the building is a small Muslim cemetery with the tomb of Hüseyin Ağa, the mosque's founder. One of our favorite visits.