TRY: Hagia Irene

1st Courtyard of Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Wed-Mon: 9.00am - 4.00pm

Hagia Irene was a church dedicated to the peace of God. It's one of the three shrines that the emperor in the past devoted to God's attributes, along with Hagia Sophia for wisdom and Hagia Dynamis for power. It serves as a museum and a concert hall today.

From Hagia Sophia, I walked to the grounds of the massive Topkapi Palace through the Imperial Gate. Hagia Irene is located at the first courtyard.

Would someone be kind enough to translate what's written up there for me?

A glimpse of the Golden Horn~

At the point of writing, The entrance fee to Hagia Irene is ₺20.00 (~S$6.30). I used my Istanbul Museum Pass to enter the building without an extra charge. However, from what I understand, pass holders now need to pay an additional ₺10.00 (~S$3.15).

Hagia Irene was the first church built in Constantinople sometime in the 4th century before Hagia Sophia, being one of the few in the city that was not converted into a mosque during the Ottoman era.

To be searingly honest, there's nothing much to see inside.

Ahhh, it's been a long since I last had a musical performance on stage.

When I walked out of the building, I saw a big dog sleeping peacefully nearby.

Due to its awe-inspiring atmosphere and the impressive acoustic echo it can generate, Hagia irene is used mainly for classical music performances. Since 1980, many of the concerts of the annual Istanbul International Music Festival are held there.