Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) Istanbul The most important Byzantine architecture found in Istanbul consists of churches. The most magnificent of all of the Byzantine churches is the Hagia Sophia. This church was designed by the architects Anthemios of Tralles and Izidorus of Miletus. This construction of the second Hagia Sophia was started in 532 by the order of the Emperor Justinian and was built over the ruins of an earlier structure. Materials were brought from Ephesus, Athens, Rome, and Delphi and were used in the construction of this magnificent building. The church was opened for worship five years later, in 537. The Hagia Sophia has a diameter of 31-33 meters and a height of 54 meters and is covered with a large dome. The church was considerably damaged by the earthquake of 557 and the nephew of the Architect Izidorus supervised the repair of the structure.
Because Byzantium was strongly under the intluence of Rome at the time of the construction of the Hagia Sophia, this structure is an amalgam of the magnificence of Roman architecture with the standard church architecture of the Byzantines. The original mosaics of the church were severely damaged by the Iconoclasts, but new mosaics replaced the former in the 9th century after the period of Iconoclasm had disappeared.
Besides the religious subjects of the mosaics used to decorate the interior surfaces, the emperor was also used as a subject. One mosaic depicts the Virgin Mary with the emperors Justinian and Constantine sitting at her sides. Another mosaic shows Jesus sitting on a throne with the Emperor Leon 7 kneeling before him. Another mosaic is of Mary and John the Baptist imploring Jesus for mercy in the name of the people. All these mosaics bear traces of Hellenistic influences. There are also several mosaic "portraits" of other members of the imperial family. Portrait art was very advanced during the Byzantine period. After Fatih captured the city this structure was used for worship by the Moslems. In 1934 Ataturk ordered that the structure be used as a museum.
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{K:163889} 1/18/2006
