What Happened to Hagia Sophia Between 1204 and 1261?

💡 The Answer

• During 1204–1261, Latin Crusaders controlled Constantinople and Hagia Sophia.
• They installed their own Latin hierarchy in the cathedral.
• This period interrupted the continuous Byzantine liturgical tradition.
• After 1261, the Byzantine Empire recovered and restored Hagia Sophia as an Orthodox cathedral.
• This episode is a key part of its complex religious history.