Santa Sophia
Dimitra Chrysanthou
Glwssa 21
• It is a
former Orthodox patriarch
al basilica, later
a mosque, now a
museum in Istanbul
Turkey. The current
building was originally
constructed as a church
between 532 and 537
A.D by the Byzantine
Emperor Justinian.
• The Ayia Sophia had
been a church for 916
years, a mosque for 481
years and since 1934, it
is playing the character of
a museum. It has a
history that can, at best,
be described as being
unique.
• It is assumed that it
was a basilica-type
structure with a
rectangular floor plan,
circular apse and
timbered roof.
History
• The church was dedicated to Agia Sophia or the
Divine Wisdom. The church, then known as
Megale Ecclesia or The Great Church, was burnt
and reduced to rubble in 404 A.D.
Theodosius built an even bigger church. This
building was again destroyed in the Nika Revolt
of 532 A.D against Emperor Justinian. Under his
orders, and supervised by architects Anthemius
of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, the Hagia
Sophia began to be rebuilt in that year it self.
•
Emperor Justinian enlisted the architects
Isodoros and Anthemios, who produced the
plans in only a few weeks. So quickly, in fact,
that they must have been working on them for a
long time before the riots, and Justinian must
have intended to replace the old church for
years.The new church was built in less than six
years.As I refer the church was converted into a
mosque in 1453 when the Turkies took the city.
Then in 1935, the new Turkish government
converted it into a museum
Architecture
• The Ayia Sophia is now an imposing structure with a
diameter of 31-33 meters and goes up to a height of 54
meters. Its looks have constantly been changed through
the ages. The Hagia Sophia began as a wooden roofed
structure. Under Emperor Justinian`s rule, the Hagia
Sophia was rebuilt to all its glory and splendor, as
architects Anthemius and Isidorus wove their magic on
the massive structure. There are innumerable windows
at the base of the dome which light streams in and floods
the interiors.The church is glittered with fragile golden
mosaic tiles illustrating Christian figurines and scenes.
The church`s architectural style showed a confluence of
the Roman and the Byzantine building modes.
The magnificent Dome
A close up view of Ayia Sophia's magnificent
dome, which rises 184 feet (56m) in height and
spans a width of 102 feet.
The diameter of Ayia Sophia's dome is just slightly
smaller than that of the Pantheon in Rome.
Below the dome is a crown formed by 40 windows
and ribs, through which light filters into the
glittering with the gold interior of the dome
The mosaics inside the church
• On the eastern wall,there
is a mosaic panel
depicting Jesus Christ,
Empress Zoe and
Emperor Constantine IX.
Monomachus.Jesus
Christ seated on a throne,
is holding the Bible in his
left hand while his right
hand is lifted in blessing.
On his right, the emperor
is offering a money-bag,
and on his left, the
empress is holding a
scroll in her hands
• The mosaic to the
right of the window
show the Virgin Mary
holding the Christchild, Emperor John II
Comnenus and his
wife.
• Located at the east
end of the church, at
a high point in the
apse, it depicts Virgin
Mary sitting on a
backless throne
decorated with jewels,
and holding child
Christ on her lap.
• Known as Sancta Sophia in Latin and
Ayasofya in Turkish, the Hagia Sophia is
one of the greatest buildings in the world.
It had a long past, being ravaged by fires,
riots and earthquakes apart from
undergoing frequent transformations in
character.Today,stands tall as the most
abiding symbol of Istanbul's skyline.
Bibliography
• Google chrome
• Wikipedia.com
• Encyclopedia Ydria