Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia is a prominent religious site in Constantinople.

History

When Sigurd Magnusson's fleet arrived in Constantinople in 1111 AD, the Hagia Sophia could be seen prominently in the horizon. ("Fortune Favors the Brave...")

Real World Background

Hagia Sophia is a romanization of its Greek name, Ἁγία Σοφία, meaning "Holy Wisdom". Originally an Orthodox church, construction began at the site of a Roman temple around 346 AD under the orders of the Roman Emperor of the East, Constantius II (the son of the Roman Constantine the Great), but was destroyed by fire in 404 AD. Roman Emperor of the East Theodosius II commissioned a second church in 415 which also fell victim to a fire in 532.

Byzantine Emperor Justinian I commissioned the third iteration of the church the following month. When it was completed in 537 AD, it became not only the largest cathedral, but also the largest interior space in the world. Consecrated on December 27, 537 it was given the name Ναὸς τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας (Church of God's Holy Wisdom), a reference to Jesus as the Logos incarnate.

An earthquake damaged the Hagia's Sophia's main dome in 558 and the subsequent restoration gave the structure its current dimensions (31.7 meters in diameter and 55.6 meters high from the floor) in 562. Surrounding the base of the dome, and briefly uncovered during restoration efforts in the 19th Century, are four mosaics of six-winged Angels known as hexapterygons, which date back to the 13h Century. They were uncovered once more in 2009. Beneath the dome at its the southeast corner is the Omphalion, a prominent section in the floor featuring a variety of thirty colored marble circles believed to be where Byzantine emperors were once crowed.

When the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, with much of the mosaics plastered over, bells and altar removed, and minarets, a mihrab, and minbar added to the site. Much of the marble floor, including the Omphalion was covered in carpet. In the 19th Century, eight medallions featuring the calligraphy of the 4th Rashidun Caliph Ali were added to the cornices of the mosque.

In 1935, the mosque was converted into a secular museum and the subsequent restoration restored much of the building's marble floor and mosaics. In 1964 and 1975, runic graffiti were discovered in the mosque's upper levels, which were likely left by the Varangian Guard. Redesignated a mosque in 2020, the Hagia Sophia (آیا صوفیا, "Ayasofya") remains one of Istanbul's most visited landmarks, with the upper level serving as a museum since 2024. [1]

See Also

• Hagia Sophia at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• Official Website