The Hagia Sophia is a classic example of Byzantine architecture. The mosque stands at 182 feet (55.6 m) tall. Its most prominent feature is its large central dome, surrounded and supported by four towering columns, known as minarets. Forty arched windows line the base of this large dome, but more than 200 windows light the structure overall, some of them fitted with stained glass. Smaller half-domes and a variety of columns also line the building’s facade, the latter of which were primarily recycled from older Roman structures. At its base, the structure takes a rectangular shape. Brick, mortar, wood, and metal comprise the outer and supportive structures, while marble, pumice stone, and glass were used for interior decorative features. Carved relief panels and mosaics depicting religious scenes can be found all along the interior. Other Byzantine-style motifs, such as acanthus leaves and palm fronds, can also be found carved into columns and marble panels.
Architect: Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus Patron: Emperor Justinian I
Image 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Hagia_Sophia_Mars_2013.jpg/2560px-Hagia_Sophia_Mars_2013.jpg
Image 2: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Hagia_Sofia_%2814193941907%29.jpg/2560px-Hagia_Sofia_%2814193941907%29.jpg
Image 3: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.12084479
Image 4: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.18119327
Image 5: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.18127412
Image 6: https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.12289773
Image 7: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deesis_mosaic_Hagia_Sophia.jpg
532 - Construction begins 537 - Construction is completed 1453 - Constantinople falls to Ottoman forces and is converted from an Orthodox Christian church to a mosque 1919 - While under occupation during World War I by the British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, a Divine Liturgy is performed and the mosque is converted back into a church 1935 - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, converts the building into a museum 2020 - Hagia Sophia is reclassified as a mosque