The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) was
originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church
. … At the time of the first church’s construction, Istanbul was known as Constantinople, taking its name from Constantius’ father, Constantine I, the first ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
Why the Hagia Sophia was built?
It was built
as a Christian church in the 6th century
ce (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. In subsequent centuries it became a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again.
How the Hagia Sophia was built?
He built
four massive columns at the corner of each square
. On top of the columns, he built four arches. He then filled the spaces between the arches with masonry to create curved triangular shapes called pendentives. The pendentives and the tops of the arches combine to form a strong base for the dome.
What is the Hagia Sophia known for?
Hagia Sophia now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was
the greatest Christian cathedral of the Middle Ages
, later converted into an imperial mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire, and into a museum in 1935. It is located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is considered one of the greatest and most beautiful buildings in history.
What was the Hagia Sophia and what happened to it?
Ever since the reversion of Hagia Sophia back
into a mosque
, the Muslim call to prayer has been resounding from its minarets. Originally built as a Christian Orthodox church and serving that purpose for centuries, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans upon their conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
Who built Aya Sophia?
Built by
the eastern Roman emperor Justinian I
as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople for the state church of the Roman Empire between 532 and 537, the church was then the world’s largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome.
Who invented the Pendentive?
The Romans
were the first to experiment with pendentive domes in the 2nd-3rd century AD. They saw the supporting of a dome over an enclosed square or polygonal space as a particular architectural challenge.
What is the new name of Constantinople?
The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne formally established the Republic of Turkey, which moved its capital to Ankara. Old Constantinople, long known informally as
Istanbul
, officially adopted the name in 1930.
Is Hagia Sophia the Blue Mosque?
Until the completion of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque in 1616 the Hagia Sophia was
the main mosque in the city
, and its architecture inspired builders of the Blue Mosque and several others around the city and the world. After the end of World War I in 1918, the Ottoman Empire was defeated and divided by the victorious Allies.
Is the Hagia Sophia a wonder of the world?
Designed as a Christian basilica in the 6th century by Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletus, it was chosen as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The building – with its 31m diameter dome – was the world’s most spectacular church for centuries and has been called “
the 8th wonder of the world
” by art historians.
What did iconoclasts believe?
Iconoclasm (from Greek: εἰκών, eikṓn, ‘figure, icon’ + κλάω, kláō, ‘to break’) is the
social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or monuments
, most frequently for religious or political reasons.
Can you go inside the Hagia Sophia?
Visitors are still welcome to Hagia Sophia
, which remains the country’s most popular tourist attraction.
What made Constantinople’s walls so hard to get through?
Constantinople was so difficult to conquer due to two main factors. Their
double walls and Greek fire
. The double walls were so powerful and massive that they could store massive amounts of grain and could withstand years of siege if they had too.
Who is buried in Hagia Sophia?
In a structure that’s part of the Hagia Sophia complex, with an entrance on Babıhümayun Caddesi, five 16th- and 17th-century Ottoman sultans rest in their tombs.
Mehmet III, Selim II, Murat III, İbrahim I and Mustafa I
are all buried here.
