Küçük Ayasofya (Sergius & Bac

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527-65) was a devotee of the saints Sergius and Bacchus. According to legend, when Justinian was a young man he was condemned to death for plotting against Emperor Anastasius. But Sergius and Bacchus appeared to the emperor in a dream, convincing him to release Justinian.

Justinian began construction on a church dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus immediately after becoming emperor himself in 527 AD; it was completed by 536 AD. The architect was Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

The church was converted into a mosque (camii) in the 16th century under Sultan Beyazit II and remains an active mosque today.