Hagia Sophia as it appears today

A section of the original architecture of Hagia Sophia

The Church of the Holy Wisdom, commonly known as Hagia Sophia in English, is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted to a mosque, now converted into a museum, in Istanbul (Constantinople). It is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest buildings of the world and sometimes considered the Eighth Wonder of the World. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x688, 180 KB) Description: Einer der bekanntesten Bauten der Spätantike: die Hagia Sophia (Baubeginn 325), nach einem Brand wieder neu errichtet unter Justinian I Source: German Wikipedia, original upload 18. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x688, 180 KB) Description: Einer der bekanntesten Bauten der Spätantike: die Hagia Sophia (Baubeginn 325), nach einem Brand wieder neu errichtet unter Justinian I Source: German Wikipedia, original upload 18. ... Image File history File links Hagia_Sophia. ... Image File history File links Hagia_Sophia. ... ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... // Mosque; Aswan, Egypt. ... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Eighth Wonder of the World is a term sometimes used to describe things in comparison to the Seven Wonders of the World, the widely-known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. ...

The name comes from the Greek name Αγία Σοφία. It is also known as Sancta Sophia in Latin and Ayasofya in Turkish. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Construction

Nothing remains of the first church that was built on the same site during the 4th century. Following the destruction of the first church, a second was built by Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, but was burned down during the Nika riots of 532. The building was rebuilt under the personal supervision of emperor Justinian I and rededicated on December 27, 537. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... emperor Constantius II Constantius II, Byzantine Emperor (7 August 317 - 3 November 361, reigned 337 - 361), was the middle of the three sons of Constantine I the Great and Fausta. ... Constantine. ... The Nika riots (Greek: Στάση του Νίκα), or Nika revolt, took place over the course of a week in Constantinople in 532. ... Events First year in which Anno Domini calendar is actually used for numbering (in Dionysius Exiguuss treatise) January 11 - Nika riots in Constantinople; the cathedral is destroyed. ... Justinian I depicted on one of the famous mosaics of the St. ... Events Pope Silverius deposed by Belisarius at the order of Justinian, who appoints as his successor Pope Vigilius. ...

Justinian chose Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, a physicist and a mathematician, as architects; Anthemius, however, died within the first year. The construction is described in Procopius' On Buildings (De Aedificiis). The Byzantine poet Paulus the Silentiary composed an extant poetic ekphrasis, probably for the rededication of 563, which followed the collapse of the main dome. Isidore of Miletus was an architect with Anthemius of Tralles of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. ... Anthemius of Tralles (c. ... Procopius was a prominent Byzantine scholar of Late Antiquity (500?-565?). The writings of Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, are the primary source of information for the rule of the emperor Justinian. ... Ecphrasis or ekphrasis (from Greek ek out + phrasis speaking, verb ekphrazein, to proclaim or call an inanimate object by name) in modern times is taken to be the graphic, often dramatic description of a visual work of art while anciently the word applied to a description of any things, persons... Events Saint Columba, the Irish missionary, founds his mission to the Picts and his monastery on Iona. ...

Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Of great artistic value was its decorated interior with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. The temple itself was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian is said to have proclaimed "Solomon, I have surpassed thee!" (Νενίκηκά σε Σολομών). Justinian himself had overseen the completion of the greatest cathedral ever built up to that time, and it was to remain the largest cathedral for 1,000 years up until the completion of the cathedral in Seville. It is today the fourth largest cathedral in the world (by size, not height) The 11th-century monastery of Hosios Lukas in Greece is representative of the Byzantine art during the rule of Macedonian dynasty. ... This article is about a decorative art. ... Marble For the glass spheres, see marbles. ... Solomon (Hebrew, Shlomo from Shalom for peace, also Arabic as Suleiman or Sulyaman meaning peace) can mean any of the following: 1. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Interior of the Hagia Sophia, June 1994

Justinian's basilica was at once the culminating architectural achievement of late antiquity and the first masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its influence, both architecturally and liturgically, was widespread and enduring in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim worlds alike. Hagia Sofia Interior, Istanbul, June 1994, copyright User:Alex756 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Hagia Sofia Interior, Istanbul, June 1994, copyright User:Alex756 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also spelled Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. ...

The dome of the Hagia Sophia has spurred particular interest for many art historians and architects because of the innovative way the original architects envisioned the dome. The dome is supported by pendentives which had never been used before the building of this structure. The pendentive enables the round dome to transition gracefully into the square shape of the piers below. The pendentives not only achieve a pleasing aesthetic quality, but they also restrain the lateral forces of the dome and allow the weight of the dome to flow downward. Although this design stabilizes the dome and the surrounding walls and arches, the actual construction of the walls of the Hagia Sophia weakened the overall structure. The bricklayers used more mortar than brick, which, of course, constitutes a weak wall. The structure would have been more stable had the builders at least let the mortar dry before they began the next layer, however, they did not do this. When the dome was placed atop the building, the weight of the dome caused the walls to lean outward because of the wet mortar underneath. When Isidorus the Younger rebuilt the original dome, he had to first build up the interior of the walls so that they were vertical in order to support the weight of the new dome. Another probable change in the design of the dome when it was rebuilt was the actual height of the dome. Isidorus the Younger raised the height of the dome by approximately twenty feet so that the lateral forces would not be as strong and the weight of the dome would flow more easily down the walls.

An artist's impression of Hagia Sophia as it appeared before conversion to a mosque

A second interesting fact about the original structure of the dome was how the architects were able to place forty windows around the base of the dome. The Hagia Sophia is famous for the mystical quality of light that reflects everywhere in the interior of the nave, which gives the dome the appearance of hovering above the nave. This design is possible because the dome is shaped like a scalloped shell or the inside of an umbrella with ribs that extend from the top of the dome down to the base. These ribs allow the weight of the dome to flow between the windows, down the pendentives, and ultimately to the foundation. Image File history File links Hagiasophialast. ... Image File history File links Hagiasophialast. ...

The anomalies in the design of the Hagia Sophia show how this structure is one of the most advanced and ambitious monuments since the fall of Rome.

Ottoman restorations and revisions

Many restorations and repairs were done by Ottoman architects. The most famous and most extensive work was done by the great Mimar Sinan in the 16th century: The dome of the Hagia Sophia was taken down, and a new dome was constructed, the old minarets were also demolished, the minarets were added which can be seen today, as well as Islamic pulpits and art. Sinan should no be confused with Sinan Pasha. ...

In the following 400 years, after each successive big earthquake and largescale city fire, new repairs and renovations of the Hagia Sophia took place, to conserve it until today.

Description

Hagia Sophia is covered by a central dome with a diameter of 31 meters (102 feet) and 56 metres high, slightly smaller than the Pantheon's. The dome seems rendered weightless by the unbroken arcade of arched windows under it, which help flood the colourful interior with light. The dome is carried on pendentives—four concave triangular sections of masonry which solve the problem of setting the circular base of a dome on a rectangular base. At Hagia Sophia the weight of the dome passes through the pendentives to four massive piers at the corners. Between them the dome seems to float upon four great arches. St Peters Basilica (topped with a lantern), Rome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. ... The Pantheon, Rome The Pantheon is a building in Rome originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but has been a Christian church since the 7th century. ... St Peters Basilica, Rome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. ...

At the western (entrance) and eastern (liturgical) ends, the arched openings are extended by half domes carried on smaller semidomed exedras. Thus a hierarchy of dome-headed elements builds up to create a vast oblong interior crowned by the main dome, a sequence unexampled in antiquity. An exedra adopted by James Cameron for a neoclassical interior space, at the Hermitage In architecture an exedra is a semicircular recess, headed by a half-dome, which is usually set into a buildings facade. ...

The structure has been severely damaged several times by earthquakes. The dome collapsed after an earthquake in 558; its replacement fell in 563. There were additional partial collapses in 989 and 1346. In the era of Süleyman the Magnificent, Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect) built extra attachments to prevent it from collapsing. Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998. ... Events May 7 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses. ... Events Saint Columba, the Irish missionary, founds his mission to the Picts and his monastery on Iona. ... For the video game developers, see 989 Studios. ... // Events Serbian Empire was proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the South-Eastern Europe Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg...

All interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple porphyry and gold mosaics, encrusted upon the brick. On the exterior, simple stuccoed walls reveal the clarity of massed vaults and domes. (For other meanings of Porphyr, see Porphyry) Porphyry is a very hard igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. ...

Later history

Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for imperial ceremonies. During the Latin Occupation (1204-1261) the church became a Roman Catholic cathedral, and its many treasures and relics were dispersed. It was converted to a mosque after the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II in 1453. Since more conservative factions of Islam consider the depiction of the human form to be blasphemous, its mosaics were covered with plaster. One must note, however, that due to the foresightedness and tolerance of the Ottoman Sultans, the plaster was periodically removed, the mosaics maintained, and replastered. For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Ayasofya served as model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Shehzade Mosque, the Suleiman Mosque, and the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. The 19th century restoration of the Fossati brothers, who also built a pulpit (minbar) and the four circular medallions hanging on the walls of the nave that bear the names of Muhammad and the first caliphs, is widely deemed to have destroyed much of the original mosaics. The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, ranking as the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox communion. ... // Events February - Byzantine emperor Alexius IV is overthrown in a revolution, and Alexius V is proclaimed emperor. ... Events July 25 - Constantinople re-captured by Nicaean forces under the command of Michael VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Empire re-formed August 29 - Urban IV becomes Pope, the last man to do so without being a Cardinal first Bela IV of Hungary repels Tatar invasion Charles of Anjou given rule of... // Mosque; Aswan, Egypt. ... The Siege of Constantinople (painted 1499). ... The Ottoman Turks were the ethnic subdivision of the Turkish people who dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. ... Mehmed II Mehmed II, Mehmet II, or Muhammed II, (also known as el-Fatih, the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmed) (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) was first the sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the peaceful submission to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The Suleiman Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii) is a grand mosque in Istanbul. ... The Rüstem Pasha Mosque is an Ottoman mosque located in Hasircilar Carsisi (Strawmat Weavers Market) in Eminonu, Istanbul. ... A Minbar (Arabic: منبر) is a pulpit in the mosque where the Imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver sermons (khutbah خطبه ). The minbar is usually shaped as a small tower with a pointed roof and with a stair leading up to it. ...

Restoration work in the 20th century began in 1932 by the American Byzantine Institute, when most of the figures were uncovered. In 1934, under Turkish president Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sophia was secularized and turned into the Ayasofya Museum. 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–10 November 1938), until 1934 Mustafa Kemal, Turkish army officer and revolutionist statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ...

Due to its long history as both a church and a mosque, a particular challenge arises in the restoration process. The Christian iconographic mosaics are being gradually uncovered. However, in order to do so, important, historic Islamic art must be destroyed. Restorers have attempted to maintain a balance between both Christian and Islamic cultures. In particular much controversy rests upon whether the Islamic calligraphy on the dome of the cathedral should be removed, in order to permit the underlying Pantocrator mosaic of Christ as Master of the World, to be exhibited (assuming the mosaic still exists). Iconography is the study and interpretation of images in art. ... Calligraphy in a Latin Bible of AD 1407 on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... Pantocrator (Greek Παντοκρατορ) literally means Lord (or master) of Everything (the universe). It is one of the names given to Christ by Greek Orthodox Christians. ...

However, work has reportedly been purposely slow on the Hagia Sophia due to its important position and symbolism within the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church has claimed that the Turkish Government has denied offers to provide monetary assistance for the further restoration of Hagia Sophia in order to downplay its importance. Some Orthodox and Catholic Christians have gone so far as to demand the return of Hagia Sophia to the Orthodox Christian religion as a condition of Turkey's entry into the European Union. The Vladimir Icon, one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of the Virgin Mary. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ...

In 2002 Reuters reported that many mosaics and icons stored in the basement of the cathedral had been damaged by damp, giving rise to questions as to whether the Turkish authoriries were best placed to preserve the monument. It was further pointed out in 2005 that the scaffolding beneath the dome of the cathedral had been placed there since 1995 without restoration of the dome being completed, again giving rise to questions as to whether such restoration work was genuine

Gallery

Justinian I (left) offering the Church of Holy Wisdom and Constantine I (right) offering the City of Constantinople to the Virgin Mary (middle). Image File history File links Ayasophia - from Hebrew wikipedia File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Justinian I depicted on one of the famous mosaics of the St. ... Contemporary bronze head of Constantine. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ...	Mosaic Icon of Christ Pantocrator. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Christ Pantocrator in a mosaic at Dafni, Greece The iconic image of Christ Pantocrator (Christ, Ruler of All) was a major image of Christ that eventually developed in the Early Christian Church, and remains a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...	Mosaic of Saint John Chrysostom. ImageMetadata File history File links Johnchrysostom. ... Saint John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (347 - 407) was a notable Christian bishop and preacher from the 4th and 5th centuries in Syria and Constantinople. ...	Second floor marble. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 727 KB) Second floor of the mosque. ...
The interior of the dome undergoing restoration. ImageMetadata File history File links Aya_Sophia_Under_Restoration. ...	A close-up of the Hagia Sophia ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1800, 2764 KB) Summary A close up shot of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. ...	A layout of the building ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1440x960, 1636 KB) Summary A layout of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. ...	Apse Image File history File links Altar. ...

Image File history File links Aya_Sophia_Mosaic. ...

Trivia

The building has made numerous appearances in video games. The Hagia Sophia is the only landmark from Turkey that appears in the real-time strategy/simulation city building computer games SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4. It is also one of the Wonders of the World in Sid Meier's Civilization IV. It also appears as the Turkish civilization's wonder in Age of Empires II. For the legal term denoting a ruling or law of great import, see landmark case For the former Las Vegas hotel and casino, see The Landmark Hotel and Casino. ... Age of Empires (1997), Invasion of an enemy A real-time strategy (RTS) game is a type of computer strategy game which does not have turns like conventional turn-based strategy video or board games. ... A simulation is an imitation of some real device or state of affairs. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... SimCity 3000 (SC3K) is a real-time strategy/simulation city building computer game and the third installment in the SimCity series of games. ... SimCity 4 (SC4) is a real-time strategy/simulation city building computer game; the fourth installment in the SimCity series of games. ... The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a widely-known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. ... Sid Meier is one of the most successful game programmers and game designers ever, with game series whose chronologies span 20 years. ... Sid Meiers Civilization IV is a turn-based strategy computer game. ... Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (or simply Age of Kings) is a real-time strategy computer game set in the middle ages, released in 1999. ...

The building inspired various buildings of Naboo in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, especially the Palace of Theed. Film poster for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 film by George Lucas starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Jake Lloyd. ...

See also

• Timeline of Islamic history
• Islamic architecture
• Islamic art
• List of Mosques
• List of Cathedrals

There is much more to Muslim history than military and political history; this particular chronology is almost entirely of military and political history. ... Islamic architecture is the entire range of architecture that has evolved from Islam as a social, cultural, political and religious phenomenon. ... Islamic tilework of the Shrine of Hadhrat Masoumah, first built in the late 8th century. ... List of most important mosques throughout the world: // Asia Bangladesh Baitul Mukarram High Court Mosque Tara Mosque Sixty Pillar Mosque Binat Bibi mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka, Bangladesh China Xian Great Mosque in Xian Peoples Republic of China Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar Niujie Mosque in Beijing Kowloon Masjid... This is a list of cathedrals around the world, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in episcopal denominations, such as Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Orthodoxy) and a few prominent churches from non-episcopal denominations that have the word cathedral in their names. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hagia Sophia

• Contemporary description by Procopius, Buildings (De Aedificiis), published in 561.
• Some 100 photos taken by Dick Osseman
• Introduction, with floor plan and elevations.
• Very brief illustrated report on restorations
• Bibliographies to Hagia Sophia
• Painting by Turkish painter Ismail Acar: Before Hagia Sophia, The Era of East Roman Empire, One of the most famous Christ mosaic of Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia's horses, now in Venice Square
• Hagia Sophia Video

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Procopius was a prominent Byzantine scholar of Late Antiquity (500?-565?). The writings of Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, are the primary source of information for the rule of the emperor Justinian. ... İsmail Acar İsmail Acar is a Turkish painter. ...

Reference

• Mainstone, Rowland J. (1997). Hagia Sophia: Architecture, Structure, and Liturgy of Justinian's Great Church (reprint edition). W W Norton & Co Inc. ISBN 0500279454.
• Hagia Sophia Church Also known as, Mosque of Holy Wisdom.
• Pictures of Hagia Sophia
• Pictures of Hagia Sophia2