Katie--Hagia+Sophia

The most famous building in Istanbul Turkey for over thousands of years is The Hagia Sophia. History dates back 1500 years ago when construction work on “The Great Church” begun. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum in the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has so many interesting facts and so much history. Let’s take a trip back to 360 AD and experience the uniqueness of this historical building.  Hagia Sophia was first named Megale Ekklesia, which means big church as it was the largest church in Constantinople. Documents indicate that the first Hagia Sophia was built by Emperor Constantinus, son of Constantine The Great. This great church is so large with its enormous dome, forty windows, and one hundred square meter columns; it took approximately five years to build. It was built right on top of an ancient temple to Apollo, overlooking the Sea of Marmara. The church of Hagia Sophia was known as the Cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for more than a thousand years. Dedicated to Hagia Sophia, the divine wisdom, one of the three attributes of Christ according to orthodox Christian faith.  The church was burnt down on 9 June 404 during a riot by the supporters of John Chrysostom, the patriarch, who had been removed from his see by empress Eudoxia, wife of emperor Arcadius. A new church was later built on the same site by Theodosius II and opened to service on 10 October 415. This structure known as Theodosian church was destroyed by fire in 532 in the very first day of Nika Revolt. The present church was built by the order of Emperor Justinian who initiated the work and projects just a month after the end of rebellion. The emperor appointed two important architect of the age; Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, as Anthemius died during the first year of the construction, Isodorus carried the project through the completion in 537 A.D and it was consecrate on 26 December of that year. Although Hagia Sophia Turkey has many parts that are original, Hagia Sophia history has witnessed two fires. The first fire occurred in the year 404, when rioters burned the church down in protest to the banishment of John Chrysostom, the former Archbishop of Constantinople. The church was damaged so severely that it took around ten years to rebuild. The church of Hagia Sophia enjoyed some peace for 117 years and was then burned down again, this time as part of the Nica Riots. It wasn’t only the Church of Hagia Sophia that was affected. The fire was so severe that it nearly destroyed the entire city of Constantinople. The church was again rebuilt, but the damaging times in Sophia history were far from over. In 1346 and more recently in 1999, the church faced considerable damage from earthquakes. Luckily, the tools of modern engineering have helped prevent the church from suffering any major damage in the last few years. The Hagia Sofia is located in Istanbul’s main historical district, Sultanahmet. This area of the city is best explored by foot or by public transportation. Istanbul has underground trains, a subway system, and a tram. All three of the public transportation systems are inexpensive and reliable. If you are using a rental car to explore Turkey, you may want to keep the car parked in your hotel’s parking lot for the duration of your stay in Istanbul. Istanbul streets tend to be crowded and narrow and traffic can be chaotic. It is also extremely difficult to find a parking spot. The Church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is open to tourists every day except Monday, from 9am to 4pm. It’s best to avoid the weekends when crowds are at their largest. This rule can also be applied to visiting other attractions in Turkey, such as the Topkapi Palace. Admission prices are $5 for adults and children and $2.50 for students. There is also an extensive gift shop. The awe inspiring church is full of mosaic tiles and galleries of paintings that depict religious scenes. One of the most interesting mosaics marks the spot where Byzantine emperors were crowned. . Architectural history buffs marvel at the structure of the building, which is arguably the most important existing piece of Byzantine architecture. The main architectural feature of Hagia Sophia Turkey is its massive central dome. The dome is carried by four pendentives, which are concrete structures that allow the circular dome to be placed atop a rectangular base. Many people consider the walls and ceilings of the church to be great pieces of art. Nearly every square inch of interior surface is covered by green, purple, and white marble mosaics. Some of the most notable mosaics depicts the Virgin and Child as well as the Archangel Gabriel. Although several of the mosaics are damaged, others remain clear and intact. Some of the mosaics are so detailed that they look like paintings at first glance. With its impressive history and beautifully restored architecture, the church of Hagia Sophia is a main highlight of Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia has a classical basilica plan. The main ground plan of the building is a rectangle, 230 feet (70 m) in width and 246 feet (75 m) in length. The area is covered by a central dome (see [|outside] and [|inside] ) with a diameter of 102 feet (31 m), which is just slightly smaller than that of the [|Pantheon] in Rome. The main 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. Each pendentive is decorated with a [|seraphim]. The weight of the dome passes through the pendentives to four massive piers at the corners, and between them the dome seems to float upon four great arches. At the western and eastern ends, the arched openings are extended by semi-domes. The flat wall on each side of the interior (north and south) is called a tympanum, and each one has 12 large windows in two rows, seven in the lower and five in the upper. Just outside the entrance, stone cannonballs line the gravel path of the outer courtyard. These are the actual cannonballs used by Mehmet the Conqueror in his victorious 1453 battle for the city. All interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marble, green and white with purple porphyry, and gold mosaics. On the exterior, simple stuccoed walls reveal the clarity of massed vaults and domes. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The [|Islamic calligraphic roundels] suspended from the main dome since the 19th century remain in place and make for a fascinating [|religious contrast] with the uncovered Christian mosaics. The names painted on the eight wooden medallions are: Allah and Muhammad (flanking the apse); the first four Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (at the four corners of the dome); and the two grandsons of Mohammed, Hasan and Husayn (in the nave). <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The Byzantine mosaics are being gradually uncovered, but only those on the higher gallery levels, which can be accessed by stairways on the payment of a fee. This means that Muslims do not have to confront much Christian imagery in the main chamber of the building, which was a mosque for nearly 500 years and retains all the equipment of a mosque. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">When the Hagia Sophia was used as a place of worship, both for Christians and then for Muslims, the focus of the building was the east end, directly across from the entrance. This is because Christian churches are traditionally oriented towards the east, and Muslims always pray facing Mecca, which is southeast of Istanbul (the "east" end of the Hagia Sophia actually faces southeast). Thus the bulk of interesting sights are clustered in this area of the Hagia Sophia's huge interior. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">At ground level, most of the sights date from the Islamic period. A beautiful marble structure in the apse is the mihrab, a niche found in all mosques that indicates the direction of Mecca. The large freestanding stairway to the right of the mihrab is the minbar, or pulpit from which sermons were given. To the left of the mihrab is the grand sultan's loge, built by the Fossati brothers who restored the Hagia Sophia in the 1800s. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Looking up from this area, one sees a splendid apse mosaic depicting the [|Virgin and Child]. On the right is a partly damaged [|Archangel Gabriel] mosaic. Gabriel used to face an Archangel Michael mosaic on the other side of the apse, but this is now almost entirely gone. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The most famous of the Hagia Sophia's mosaics are on the upper floor, in the galleries. The South Gallery, where the great mosaics are, was used for church councils. When the Hagia Sophia was a mosque, the galleries were the place where women sat during worship services. Today, the galleries provide visitors with a commanding view of the nave from all sides and a closeup view of some of the best Byzantine mosaics to be seen anywhere. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The best-known mosaic is called the [|Deësis Mosaic], and it is the first you come to as you enter the South Gallery through the [|Marble Door]. It depicts a triumphant and kingly Christ (known as "Christ Pantrocrator"), flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">At the end of the South Gallery are two golden Byzantine mosaics. On the left is [|Christ with Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus and Empress Zoe] ; on the right is the [|Virgin and Child with Emperor John II Comnenus and Empress Irene]. <span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The modern exit from the Hagia Sophia is through the [|Vestibule of the Warriors], so called because it is where the emperor's bodyguards waited while he worshipped. Up high and behind you as you walk out is a splendid mosaic of the Virgin with Constantine and Justinian: Constantine the Great presents to the Virgin a model of the city of Constantinople (Istanbul), which he founded, and Emperor Justinian presents the church of the Hagia Sophia, which he rebuilt. This mosaic dates probably from the 10th century.