What are the architectural features of Little Hagia Sophia?

Little Hagia Sophia, originally built as the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople, is a major sixth-century Byzantine building erected by Emperor Justinian. It features a central dome plan and is renowned for the originality of its architecture and the sumptuousness of its carved decoration. While historically contemporary with the larger Hagia Sophia, scholars debate its exact construction timeline and whether it served as a direct architectural model.

What we know

• Little Hagia Sophia was erected in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian as a Greek Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus. [2]
• The building features a central dome plan and is noted for the originality of its architecture and sumptuous carved decoration. [2]
• During the Ottoman Empire, the church was converted into a mosque and came to be known as Küçük Ayasofya Camii, or Little Hagia Sophia. [1, 2]
• Procopius recognized the building at the time of its construction as an adornment to the entire city of Constantinople. [2]

Still open

• The exact date of construction is disputed, with some scholars favoring the mid-520s starting by 527 and others favoring between 532 and 536.
• It remains disputed whether Little Hagia Sophia served as a direct architectural model for the larger Hagia Sophia.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow did Emperor Justinian shape the Byzantine building program?
• whoWhat was the role of Procopius in recording Byzantine architecture?
• compared withHow does Hagia Irene compare in preservation and history?
• a case in pointWhat are other examples of Byzantine churches in Istanbul?
• what followedHow did Ottoman conversion change Byzantine churches into mosques?
• an unexpected connectionHow was a medieval church used as a weapons arsenal?While Little Hagia Sophia became a mosque, another major Byzantine church in Istanbul named Hagia Irene survived conversion entirely by being repurposed as an arms depot until the nineteenth century.

Sources

• [1]Little Hagia Sophia (Wikidata Q1144576) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Little Hagia Sophia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Hagia Irene · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Saint Sophia Church, Sofia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Justinian I · CC BY-SA 4.0