Aya Irini, winter 1990.
Probably the greatest venue for choral music in the world. Having said that, the acoustics are wildly variable. Try and get tickets under the centre of the dome. I heard the Thomas Tallis Choir here in the late 1990s and the sound was heavenly. I stood at the back for another concert not long afterward and the echo was vile. For a place called the Church of Divine Peace, its early years were a bit messy. A riot in 346 over whether or not the Nicene Creed constituted correct doctrine killed 3000 people. It (with Aya Sofya) was burned down in the Nika Revolt in 532.
Interior in 2014
The current church is from about 532-537 apart from reconstructions necessitated by fire, earthquakes and the doings of men. In 2013, it reopened as a museum with the minimalist décor of iconoclastic times.
Most of the column bases are wrongly used capitals
The decoration is limited to an inscription and a simple cross above the altar. (41.009888,28.981225) There is an excavation west of the church which looks like another church but is apparently the remains of the Hospice of St Samson.
Aisle of Aya Irini
The St Samson site from the south.
One can see why Aya Irini is so light inside.
Excavation of the Hospice of St Samson.
Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
June 30th, 2014 at 12:34 pm
[…] Aya Irini […]