Church of the Holy Apostles

This article is about a former church in Constantinople, modern day Istanbul. For other structures of the same or a similar name, see Church of the Holy Apostles (disambiguation).

41°1′11″N 28°56′59″E / 41.01972°N 28.94972°E / 41.01972; 28.94972

An image from a National Library of France BnF Grec 1208 (12th century)[1] believed to be a representation of the Church of the Holy Apostles

The Church of the Holy Apostles (Greek: Ἅγιοι Ἀπόστολοι, Agioi Apostoloi; Turkish: Havariyyun Kilisesi), also known as the Imperial Polyandrion (imperial cemetery), was a Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated to the 4th century, though future emperors would add to and improve upon it.[2] It was second in size and importance only to the Hagia Sophia among the great churches of the capital.

When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, the Holy Apostles briefly became the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Three years later, the dilapidated edifice was abandoned, and the patriarchate moved to the Theotokos Pammakaristos Church. In 1461, the remains of the Church of the Holy Apostles were demolished by the Ottomans to make way for the Fatih Mosque.[3]

  1. ^ "BnF Grec 1208 - BmF Gallica".
  2. ^ Krautheimer (1992)
  3. ^ Müller-Wiener (1977) p. 406