Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What was Hagia Sophia called before about 430 CE?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Hagia Sophia
A bird's-eye view of Hagia Sophia on the shore of the Bosporus, Istanbul.
Before approximately 430 CE, the original church on the site of the Hagia Sophia was known as the Magna Ecclesia, which is Latin for "Great Church".12
Commissioned by Emperor Constantine I in 325 and consecrated by his son Constantius II in 360, this structure served as the primary church of the city before being damaged by fire in 404 and subsequently rebuilt.12