The Early Churches

2.2 The Second Church on the Same

Site (Built by Theodosius II, 415 CE)

The first church was destroyed in a fire in 404 CE. It was replaced by the Second Hagia Sophia, built by Theodosius II. The church was inaugurated on October 10, 415 CE.

By this time, the Council of Constantinople (381 CE) had expanded the Nicene Creed solidifying the Trinity as we know it today. The Arian bishops were expelled, and their followers were marginalized. The Hagia Sophia became the official “Fortress of the Trinity.”

The second Hagia Sophia was also a wooden-roofed basilica, but much grander, with a monumental entrance decorated with marble carvings of sheep (representing the Apostles). You can still see some of these marble fragments today if you visit the garden of the current Hagia Sophia.