Did Hagia Sophia Serve as a Cathedral During the Latin Crusader Occupation?

💡 The Answer

• From 1204 to 1261, Latin Crusaders occupied Constantinople.
• During this period, they installed their own hierarchy in Hagia Sophia.
• It continued to function as a cathedral, but under Roman Catholic control.
• This interrupted the continuous Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition.
• After 1261, it returned to Orthodox use until the Ottoman conquest.