SAINT SOPHIA CHURCH (AYASOYFA)
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In the city centre, at the point where Atatürk Caddesi and Kılıçaslan Caddesi meet, one discovers, amidst roses, the remains of three successive basilicas. The floor was raised during the first two constructions. Originally, the building was the magnificent Church of St. Sophia (Church of Divine Wisdom) which dates from the reign of Justinian (6th century). In 787, it houses the deliberations of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which rejects iconoclasm. And today, the visit is justified by the mosaic on the floor and the mural representing Christ, the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist, to the left of the nave, the only remains of this first church, destroyed in 1065 by an earthquake. Aya Sofya is rebuilt on its remains and the new basilica is enriched with wall mosaics. It was converted into a mosque after the Ottomans took Nicea in 1331. Soliman the Magnificent adorns the new earthenware building but it is again destroyed in the 16th century, this time by fire. Its reconstruction was then undertaken under the direction of the genius Mimar Sinan, the most famous Turkish architect, who had the walls tiled using the glazed earthenware that the city was already famous for. The Church of St. Sophia is one of the must-see monuments during a visit to the peaceful town of Iznik. You will find it at the corner of Kılıçaslan and Atatürk Caddesi Street. She's worth the detour.
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