Trip Planner: Europe / Turkey / Istanbul / Little Hagia Sophia

Little Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

4.7

#11 of 141 in Historic Sites in Istanbul

Originally built as an octagonal church topped by a large central dome, Little Hagia Sophia inspired the design of Hagia Sophia. Legend has it that Byzantine Emperor Justinian commissioned the church in 527 to honor the patron saints of soldiers, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, who saved him from a death sentence. Take an all-encompassing view of the interior from the gallery. The white walls, once covered in golden mosaics, are now adorned with Arabic calligraphy. Notice the inscription in Greek around the central nave dedicated to the Emperor Justinian, his wife Theodora, and Saint Sergius. The outside court features a small garden, a fountain, several teahouses, bookshops, and calligraphy boutiques. A small cemetery north of the building houses the grave of Hüseyin Ağa, the 16th-century founder of the mosque. Put Little Hagia Sophia at the forefront of your travel plans using our Istanbul road trip app .

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Little Hagia Sophia Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

934 reviews

Google

4.8

Khalid M

August 16, 2017

We visited ayasofia Camii and found it amazing .it represent. A church and a mosque in the same time .the domes are amazing especially after restoration looks fantastic . more »
NelsonAponte

August 15, 2017

Don't get too excited by the name, it has nothing to do with the original Hagia Sophia, except the big dome slightly resembles that of the Hagia Sophia from the outside. Besides, the original name of ... more »
Abdullah A

August 6, 2017

منطقه جميله . كنيسه تم تحويلها الى مسجد . لم اتمكن من دخوله بسبب الزحام لكن اكتفيت بالالتقاط الصور من الخارج more »

Beautiful area. The Church was converted into a mosque. I could not enter because of the crowds but merely picking photos from abroad

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Denis Pisarev

It's fun as a fact, but actually I've never noticed it if was not told about.

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Cam Graves

It is truly a beautiful piece of architecture and colours. Add it to your list of attractions that MUST be visited in Istanbul (huge list!).

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Adeel Khan

With so many mosques in Istanbul i would not have discovered this mosque if i was not living in a nearby hotel, so this mosque was discovered as accident. It is small but beautiful. A worth visiting place

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Abdin C

Fantastic little mosque. So beautiful and peaceful inside. It used to be a church and you can still see some of the Roman scriptures. It's been a place of worship for a long long time. Worth checking out but be warned, it's a tough walk getting back from this place as it's up hill when heading back to the the main square.

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Ham Mad

It was Awesome you should go there

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Little Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Khalid M

NelsonAponte

Abdullah A

Denis Pisarev

Cam Graves

Adeel Khan

Abdin C

Ham Mad

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