The structure originally erected on the site of the Hagia Sophia was a Christian cathedral called the Megale Ekklesia , which was commissioned by the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I. Prior to that, the site had been home to a pagan temple.
What was the Hagia Sophia built for originally?
The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) was originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church . However, its function has changed several times in the centuries since. Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D.
What was the Hagia Sophia in the past?
Built from 532 to 537, by the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was for centuries the principal cathedral of Eastern Christianity ; after the Ottoman conquest, in 1453, it served as the central mosque of imperial Istanbul.
Who was the Hagia Sophia dedicated to?
The church of Hagia Sophia (literally “Holy Wisdom”) in Constantinople, now Istanbul, was first dedicated in 360 by Emperor Constantius , son of the city’s founder, Emperor Constantine. Hagia Sophia served as the cathedra, or bishop’s seat, of the city.
Was Hagia Sophia the First church?
Originally a church , later a mosque, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia (532–537) by Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral (1507) in Spain.
What is the meaning of Aya Sophia?
The Hagia Sophia, whose name means “holy wisdom ,” is a domed monument originally built as a cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the sixth century A.D. ... In its 1,400 year life-span it has served as a cathedral, mosque and now a museum.
What time period was the Hagia Sophia?
Built between 532 and 537 , Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom, Ayasofya) represents a brilliant moment in Byzantine architecture and art. It was the principal church of the Byzantine Empire in its capital, Constantinople (later Istanbul), and a mosque after the Ottoman Empire conquered the city in 1453.
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.
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.
How many times was the Hagia Sophia destroyed?
1. THE CHURCH WAS TWICE DESTROYED BY RIOTS.
Who founded the city of Constantinople?
In 330 A.D., Constantine established the city that would make its mark in the ancient world as Constantinople, but also would become known by other names, including the Queen of Cities, Istinpolin, Stamboul and Istanbul.
Was Hagia Sophia a pagan temple?
Some believe that the Hagia Sophia, first a Christian cathedral in the eastern Roman Empire, was built on the site of an ancient pagan temple . ... But the pagan label is also continually used to inaccurately lump together an arguably diverse group of non-Abrahamic belief systems.
Is the Hagia Sophia still a museum?
In 1934, it was declared a museum by the secularist Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. As of June 24 of this year, Hagia Sophia’s icons of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ are covered by fabric curtains as the edifice yet again changes functions.
Is the Hagia Sophia bigger than St Peters?
| Name | St. Peter’s Basilica | Area (m 2 ) Interior | 15,160 | Built | 1506–1626 | City | Vatican City | Country | Vatican City |
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