ONCE A CHURCH, LATER A MOSQUE.
Masterpiece Of The History Of Architecture:
The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque / Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi, with its innovative architecture, rich history, religious significance and extraordinary characteristics has been fighting against time for centuries, was the largest Eastern Roman Church in İstanbul. Constructed three times in the same location, it is the world’s oldest and fastest-completed cathedral. With its breathtaking domes that look like hanging in the air, monolithic marble columns and unparalleled mosaics, is one of the wonders of world’s architecture history. The sheer dazzling beauty of mosque with its magnificent play on space, light, and color provokes worship in the believer! Hagia Sophia pose on the ground of the first hill of İstanbul, precisely at the tip of the historic peninsula, surrounded by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn on three sides.
IT CONTINUED TO EXIST AS A MOSQUE DURING THE OTTOMAN PERIOD
MOSAICS, SERMON CHAIRS: WELL WORTH SEEING!
When Hagia Sophia was first built, it was called the Great Church (Megale Ekklesia). However, the Church began to be called Sophia from the 5th century. Despite this, it continued to be popularly referred to as the Great Church. After the conquest in 1453, the name of the church was changed to “Hagia Sophia” as it is still used today.
From the views on where the name of the building came from; The idea that it was dedicated to a saint named Sophia is false. The church was dedicated to Theia Sophia, the second element of the Christian trinity, Holy Wisdom. The word Hagia Sophia, which was later named after, is composed of the words Aya (holy, saint) and Sophos (wisdom), meaning holy/divine wisdom.
Built Three Times
Hagia Sophia fascinates people by not only with its awe-inspiring architectural design, but also by its gold-plated, silver-plated, glass, terracotta and colored stone mosaics, and the original ceiling mosaics of the 6th century with their floral and geometric motifs. The mosaics with figures following the icon ban in the 8th century especially Mother Mary depicted with child Jesus in her arms, the Archangel Gabriel and the Archangel Michael and Deisis stage mosaics must be seen. Some of the most famous mosaics, including a Deisis panel and imperial portraits, are found in the southwest gallery, which was used for religious meetings and ceremonies.
Figures of four different angels are engraved on the pendants. These angels are depictions of Seraphim, believed to be guarding God’s throne in heaven. The angels in the east were made of mosaics while the two angels in the west were deteriorated during the Eastern Roman Period and renovated as mural paintings. The faces of the angel figures were covered with star-shaped metal caps during the Ottoman period. An angel’s face was exposed during the mosaic repairs on the dome in 2009.
