How Many Successive Church Buildings Were on the Site?

💡 The Answer

• Hagia Sophia is the last of three church buildings erected on the same site.
• The first two were earlier structures, also built by the Eastern Roman Empire.
• The final, current building was completed in AD 537 under Emperor Justinian.
• The earlier churches were destroyed or replaced due to fires and revolts.
• This sequence underscores Hagia Sophia's long, layered history.