[527-536] Deliberate Construction of the Church

The original plans for the site, dating back to 527. The church was built in the Early-Byzantine architectural style.

The church had a large central dome with an octagonal base, as shown here. This was later replicated by the Hagia Sophia. 

The construction of the church marked a deliberate effort to remember religious history, demonstrating the intentional commemorative value of the site.

From 527 to 536AD, the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus was built. It is rumoured that Justinian had revolted against his Emperor uncle and been subjected to death. However, the two aforementioned saints had appeared in the Emperor’s sleep, convincing him not to follow through on the execution, culminating in Justinian’s survival. He was said to have then commissioned this church after becoming emperor himself out of gratitude to the two saints (2). 

There is no doubt from the origins of this church that it was representative of a will to remember religious figures and thus intentional commemorative. Justinian was grateful for surviving and sought to pay homage to the two saints who had saved him through creating a church: a site of religious observation, where people devote themselves to a higher being. Moreover, Nora describes lieux de mémoire as being material, symbolic, and functional, which matches the church’s characteristics. It was a physical building (material), representative of higher beings (symbolic), and allowed people to worship and better themselves (functional).