Probably not true that this is the ONLY religious building never to have served Muslim use in Istanbul. For one, the Latin Catholic chapel now inside the French Lycée St Benoit originated in Byzantine times in 1363 and has always been a place of Christian worship as well as hosting tombs and memorials to important people such as various Hungarian.aristocrats and even royalty.

While the Sisyphus analogy was excellent I don't think it is fair to call Heraclius, Alexius I, Basil II. Etc. as ultimately futile. Yes from the point of view of looking at the entire empire they were futile efforts but they still provided hundreds of years of civilized roman society. If America were to fall in our lifetime would it be fair to call the efforts of George Washington or Abe Lincoln as futile? Of course not. Surely those hundreds of years of peaceful society in between were worth it and absolutely not futile. Those periods where the boulder was at the top of the hill were beautiful and the multi generations of people that enjoyed them and the advances in art religion and other areas that occurred during them certainly should not be forgotten even though the empire ultimately fell. I guess to summarize in a sentence, I'm trying to say that "just becuase something ends, doesn't mean it wasn't a success while folks were still enioying their various journeys."

Thank you for this, the most thoroughly researched and thoughtful account I've seen of the lead-up to Manzikert, the fateful battle itself, and its aftermath. And so poignantly told. Well done.

I've in this church last year, so beautiful church of the 2 big martyrs

Amazing video like The Catacombs of Rome videos I have recently found My stepfather who was Greek Orthodox and loved Church History would be 115 Today his birthday born January 10 1910 Sadly Today is also Funeral of his eldest daughter Demetra As tribute hope to make video on name Demetrius which occurs in New Testament If only these videos had existed in their lifetimes how enriching it would have been to share them as family

I thought the Byzantine Emperors employed some "Vikings" as their personal guards at some point? Admittedly, my knowledge about the history of bizantium is extremely limited. Which incidentally is why I'm listening to this podcast. Its fantastic, by the way.

What an episode!

I appreciate seeing the older photos to compare 😊

Few tips/corrections: 1) you really don’t need a guide to arrange anything. Just ring the front door bell within reasonable hours in the day and the kind person in charge of the maintenance of the church will open it for you. In fact, stay away from local guides, as they tend to give false info and “historical” facts as a result of political propaganda, if you know what I mean. 2) the proper title is Ecumenical (world jurisdiction) Patriarchate of Constantinople not simply “Orthodox Greek Patriarch”.

I wanted to visit it when I travelled to Istanbul last november. Alas, I had only 4 days and too many Byzantine architecture to visit 😅 I intend to correct on that mistake the next time I'm there though Please make a video on St. Theodor, it's a dear of mine now.

Some people like hitting the high point of the roller coaster for a thrill. Give me the descent into the catacombs anytime.

Great video much needed

Glad you’re still going

Great video! I was just there last week. There aren’t many signs telling you whom the relics belonged to. Wasn’t sure what I was looking at until now.

Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍

The byzantines built to many churches and had to little warriors.

I like how you use this medium to detail facets of Byzantium that would otherwise be too insignificant to fit into the main narrative!

Very happy to have found you!

Don't say Spanish kingdom to the Catalan domains...it's disrespectful and incorrect

It's hard to listen to this. Such profound sadness. Damn.

Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍

Few inaccuracies in this video: 1) the proper title is Ecumenical (world jurisdiction) Patriarchate of Constantinople not simply “Orthodox Greek Patriarch”, 2) the relics were not simply “taken” from the city in 1204, but rather “stolen”...

As a Professional Tour Guide I really enjoy your videos so much ! I visited the many times in recent days with my visitors, you mentioned many good details.

I have always read that the designs on the columns were not of oak trees, but from peacock feathers, and symbolized eternity.

Big fan of The History of Rome, and thrilled to have found you.

The God who whant human blood as secrifice😮

Im Turkish and you doing great work, thanks 😊

The Turks did take very good care of this buildings must say. The Turkish buildings in Greece were all destroyed and burned but the Turks dint do that,why?.

I have visited Chora museum and it is indeed very impressive and old.❤

Tervel🇧🇬☦️

Деяния 3:19 Священное Писание (Восточный Перевод) 19 Итак, покайтесь и обратитесь к Всевышнему, чтобы ваши грехи были стёрты

Thank you Robin

Very interesting and always a pleasure to see this marvel of East-Roman architecture of which so little survived Everlasting shame on the European nations for abandoning the East Roman Empire during it’s struggle against Islam

In Fairness to Phocas he does have some pretty cool coins.

He’s my ancestor me and my brother proved it. Funny we also look identical to his son Theodore the II Laskaris

Free Constantinople !🙏

Starting this in 2025!

I listened to this episode shortly after my brother died unexpectedly roughly 2 years ago. Ironically I was also living in Istanbul at the time, so it felt especially relevant to me. By the end of the episode, I couldn't stop weeping. Something so universal about the loss, even if the story and cultural / religious context are entirely different than my own. Thank you for this beautiful story.

Thank you for these videos. Do you know why the obelisk is on the four bronze padstones.

“Hagia Sophia” Grand Orthodox Cathedral, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the Seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the early Byzantine Empire for almost ten centuries (Head of the Greek Orthodox Church and Eastern Orthodoxy), situated now in the Greek district of St. George’s Cathedral in Constantinople. Hagia Sophia was succeeded by the Church of the Holy Apostles (1453-1456), Pammakaristos Church (1456-1587), Church of the Panagia Paramythia (1587-1597), Church of St. Demetrius Xyloportas (1597-1601) and finally St. George Cathedral to this day. A continuous presence of Greek Orthodoxy and culture, a universal heritage and legacy, the unique Byzantine Architecture and music (Chants) that were developed in the Byzantine Empire are a treasure for humanity. Christian tourists, not only Orthodox, may also visit the Chora Church, famous for its outstanding Late Byzantine mosaics and frescos. The Sumela Monastery in the Pontic Mountains (Tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site), standing since 386 AD, is one other masterpiece of Byzantine Architecture and a sacred religious monument for us Greeks.

“Greeks were generally the largest and most influential ethnic group in both Anatolia and the Byzantine Empire, especially from the Hellenistic period onward. By the time of the Byzantine Empire, Greeks were the predominant ethnic group in the urban and administrative centers, particularly in Constantinople and other key cities. Greek became the official language in the empire under Emperor Heraclius in the 7th century. This cemented the cultural dominance of Greek-speaking populations, especially in Asia Minor (Anatolia), which was a vital part of the empire. Many influential figures, such as Byzantine Emperors and Military Commanders, came from Greek-speaking regions”. Excerpt from the notable books “A Study of History” by Arnold Toynbee, prominent English Historian-Byzantinist.

the metal band Bolt Trower have album called The 4th crusade

Very good documentary about Roman architecture.

Why do greeks and haters (of Turks?) comment with stupid statements? This is a documentary about the amazing architecture of the Romans. Fact is that Konstantin was a Roman and decided to make his city to be the capital of East Rom.

Very good documentary about Roman architecture and Konstantinopel. Your walk in Istanbul is an excellent advertisement to visit Türkiye.

...Halfdan war hier!(ist das klar?!)Halvdan burada idi (anlaşıldı mı ?!)Todos los Idiomas en el templo de Ayasofya!!!Saludos 🎉

Very good documentary about Roman history and architecture. The Turks saved most of Konstantinopel. Hagia Sophia is an excellent example of Turkish architects protecting Roman buildings.

Konstantinopel was a Roman city. Konstantin was not a greek. He was a Roman. I recommend the greeks to check athens. No similarities to Istanbul. If athens is not comparable with Istanbul, how can people say Konstantinopel was a greek City. In the past it was a Roman city now it is a Turkish city.

69 ha ha ha ha ha

Great job sir, thanks for bringing me there.