[1506-1513] Transformation of the Mosque and Religion as Intentional Commemoration

The portico is pictured here, defined by its roof and regularly-spaced columns (2). It formed a pleasant entrance to the church and gave visitors a place to walk or rest.

The city of Constantinople under the Ottoman Empire, as shown in 1572, featuring the Little Hagia Sophia. 

From 1506 to 1513, the church was transformed into a mosque by Hüseyin Ağa. He added a portico and madrasah to the building during this process. The portico was added along one side of the church, providing a sheltered space where worshippers could walk or rest. The madrasah was created inside the church as a location for higher learning, where law, other Islamic sciences, and literary philosophical subjects were taught (1). 

The transition from church to mosque mirrored a greater transition in society at the time. The Ottoman Empire was thriving under the rule of Sultans and there was a consequent shift in the importance of Islam relative to that of Christianity.

However, the intentional commemorative value of the site during this era came from the deliberate choice to transform the religious allegiances of the site rather than rebuilding it altogether. The builders at the time could have opted to destroy the church and build a brand new mosque. However, they deliberately chose to “materialize the immaterial” (Nora 19) – bring to life (materialize) the scriptures and holy teachings (immaterial) of Islam – by building on top of the existing Christian structures. Building up versus bulldozing maintained the site's connections to its past, intentionally preserving a link to the history, worthy of commemoration. Ultimately, they were able to bring an artifact from the past to the present through transformation rather than replacement.