Hagia Sophia: From Church to Mosque to Museum and Back — ...

✓ Last reviewed: 29 September 2026 — Verified and updated by İlyas Bayrak, licensed Turkish guide (licence 070867), with the My Turkey Adventure editorial team. Prices, opening hours, transport fares and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. Quick Answer: Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is currently a working mosque, but its nearly 1,500-year history has seen it serve as the world's largest cathedral, an imperial mosque, a secular museum, and now a mosque again. Originally consecrated as an Orthodox Christian cathedral in 537 AD , it was converted into a mosque in 1453 , transformed into a museum in 1934 by Atatürk , and officially reverted to a mosque in July 2020 . What Came Before Today's Hagia Sophia? Before the colossal structure we see today, two earlier churches stood on this sacred ground. The story of the Hagia Sophia , or "Holy Wisdom," begins not with Emperor Justinian , but two centuries earlier. The First Hagia Sophia (360-404 AD): The original church, known as the Megale Ekklesia (Great Church), was inaugurated on February 15, 360 AD , under Emperor Constantius II , son of Constantine the Great . This was a traditional wooden-roofed basilica, but its glory was short-lived. Following political turmoil involving the exile of the Patriarch of Constantinople , John Chrysostom , riots broke out and the church was burned to the ground in 404 AD . The Second Hagia Sophia (415-532 AD): Emperor Theodosius II ordered a rebuild, and a new, grander marble basilica was consecrated in 415 AD . For over a century, this church served as the heart of the city's spiritual life. However, its fate was sealed by political passion. In January 532 AD , the infamous Nika riots —a massive urban uprising against Emperor Justinian I —swept through Constantinople , and the second Hagia Sophia was completely destroyed by fire. From these ashes, Justinian saw not disaster, but an opportunity to create a monument for the ages, a building that would forever be associated with his nam