Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D. 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.
Who built Hagia Sophia and why?
Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D. 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.
Who were the original architects that designed the Hagia Sophia?
The resultant Hagia Sophia was built in the remarkably short time of about six years, being completed in 537 ce. Unusual for the period in which it was built, the names of the building’s architects— Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus —are well known, as is their familiarity with mechanics and mathematics.
Who constructed Hagia Sophia?
In 2020, it re-opened as a mosque. 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.
How was architecture of the Hagia Sophia special?
Architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus built it in a span of six years. Hagia Sophia combines a longitudinal basilica and a centralised building in a unique Byzantine way—with a huge 32-metre main dome supported on pendentives (triangular segment of a spherical surface) and two semi-domes.
What is the meaning of Aya Sophia?
Image credit: Tatiana Popova Shutterstock) 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.
Who invented 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.
What is the history of Aya Sophia?
Hagia Sophia, or the Church of Holy Wisdom, was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I on the site of a destroyed basilica of the same name. Completed in 537, it was among the world’s largest domed structures and would serve as the foremost Orthodox Christian church for some 900 years.
Is Hagia Sophia the Blue Mosque?
Hagia Sophia Museum is much older than Blue Mosque , HS was built in 537, BM was built in 1616. So seeing an older building sounds more charming to me. Hagia Sophia was used as church, then mosque and now a museum. So you can see historical artifacts from both Eastern Roman Empire and Ottoman Empire.
How many mosques are there in Turkey?
Turkey has 82,693 mosques , the most of which are in the country’s largest city, Istanbul, according to Religious Affairs Directorate data. Istanbul has 3,113 mosques, including the historical Sultanahmet Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque.
What made the Hagia Sophia an architectural masterpiece?
It was built as a Cathedral reflecting Christian architectural features but then after the conquest of the Ottoman Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmed it was turned to a mosque by adding Islamic features like minaret, a chandelier, mihrab and a minbar without destroying the features of the Christian church.
What makes Hagia Sophia unique?
It is one of the most important Byzantine structures in the world. ... Hagia Sophia combines a longitudinal basilica and a centralised building in a unique Byzantine way—with a huge 32-metre main dome supported on pendentives (triangular segment of a spherical surface) and two semi-domes.
Is Hagia Sophia an architectural marvel?
Turkey’s Hagia Sophia, which has been in the news recently, is an architectural marvel and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. ... It remained the world’s largest cathedral for 1,000 years until the cathedral in Seville, Spain, was completed in 1520.
