Two Greek tourists were arrested in Istanbul on the afternoon of Orthodox Holy Thursday after allegedly unfurling a flag inside Hagia Sophia, according to reports from Turkish media. The two individuals were a woman traveling on a Greek passport and a man with dual Greek and Australian citizenship.
Reports say the pair unfurled a blue flag with a white cross, resembling a version of the Greek flag, alongside the Byzantine double-headed eagle and the phrase “Orthodoxy or Death”.
Greek tourists entered Hagia Sophia as part of an organized tour
Security camera footage reportedly shows the two entering Hagia Sophia as part of an organized tour group. After completing the required checks, they headed to the upper level, an area open to visitors.
Once there, one of them allegedly pulled the flag from inside a jacket, unfolded it, and posed for a photograph. The person then handed the flag to another member of the group, who repeated the action. The footage also suggested that more people may have intended to join in.
Greek tourists referred to court after Hagia Sophia incident
Security staff spotted the incident quickly through the site’s surveillance system and stepped in before the situation could escalate further. At the same time, another member of the group reportedly appeared ready to hold the same flag.
Authorities later referred the two tourists to a court in Istanbul, which formally ordered their arrest on a charge described as insulting a segment of the public.
Ayasofya'da bayrak açan 2 Yunan turist tutuklandı.
pic.twitter.com/mKcwWxVTJ3— DarkWeb Haber (@darkwebhaber) April 14, 2026
Hagia Sophia holds deep symbolic significance
The incident carries particular sensitivity because Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople, remains one of the strongest symbols of the Greek Orthodox world nearly six centuries after the Ottoman conquest and its conversion into a mosque.
From 537 to 1453, the church, known to the Byzantines as the “Great Church,” stood at the center of Eastern Christianity. More than a monumental structure, it served as the religious, political, and artistic heart of the Byzantine Empire. Historical accounts describe a vast sacred space that could hold thousands of worshippers, while hundreds of priests, deacons, and chanters conducted its liturgies.
Its importance, however, never rested on size alone. Builders placed Hagia Sophia in what many at the time saw as the “New Jerusalem,” and the monument came to symbolize both imperial power and the triumph of Christianity after centuries of Roman persecution.
A monument at the center of history
The structure completed in 537 AD did not mark the beginning of Christian worship on the site. Tradition holds that Constantine I founded the original basilica around 325 AD on the remains of a pagan temple. His son, Constantius II, consecrated the cathedral in 360.
Fire damaged that early church in 404 during unrest that followed the second exile of St. John Chrysostom, then Patriarch of Constantinople. Authorities later rebuilt and enlarged it, and Theodosius II rededicated it in 415. The Nika riots, however, destroyed it once again in 532.
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