Page 150 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Haghia Sophia, Istanbul
148 EUROPE

The nchurch of the Holy Wisdom," Haghia Sophia is among
the world's greatest architectural achievements. More than
BLACK Sf A
1,400 years old, it stands as a testament to the sophisti-
GEORGIA
t:a HAGHIA SOPHIA
ISTANBUL "" cation of 6th-century Constantinople, and had a huge
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influence on architecture in the centuries that followed .
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The vast edifice w as built over two earlier churches and
eAclana inaugurated by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 537. In
the 15th century, the Ottomans converted it into a mosque:
Print of Haghia Sophia from
M!f)ITERRANf AN the mid-19th century the minarets, tombs, and fountains date from this period.
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To help support the structure's great weight, the exterior
THE GROUND FLOOR has been buttressed on numerous occasions,
The 1 nterior of Haghia Sophia succeeds in which has partly obscured its original shape.
imparting a truly celestial feel. Highlights
include the fine Byzantine mosaics, mostly
dating from the 9th century or later. The most
conspicuous features at ground level are WEEPING PILLAR
those added by the Ottoman sultans after the
Crowds often gather
conquest of Istanbul in 1453, when the church
around the pillar of St.
was converted into a mosque. These compnse
Gregory the Miracle-
the rnhrab, a n1che indicating the direct1on of Worker in the northwest
Mecca, the minbar, a platform used by the comer of the ground
imam to deliver sermons; the Sultan's loge, floor. Moisture seeping
a safe place in which the sultan could pray; from this brass-dad
and the Kursu, a throne used by the imam column is belie ved to
have healing powers.
while reading from the Koran.

UPPER WALLS AND DOME MOSAICS
The apse is dominated by a large and striking
mosaic showing the Virgin with the infant Jesus
on her lap 1\No other mosaics, urweiled in 867,
depict the archangels Gabriel and Michael,
although only fragments of the latter rema1n
~ Byzantine Frieze
Portraits of the saints Ignatius the Younger, John
Among the ruins of the
Chrysostom, and Ignatius Theoj:horus adorn monumental entrance to
n1ches in the north tympanum. In a concave area the second church on the
site (dedicated in AD 4 15)
at the base of the dome is a mosaic of the s ix-
is a frieze of sheep.
winged seraphim. The dome is decorated with
Koranic inscriptions (calligraphic roundels). It
was once covered in gold mosaic tiles.

BYZANTINE STYLE
When Emperor Constantine I (r. 306-337)
chose Byzantium for his capital and renamed it
Constantinople, he amassed artists, architects,
and craftsmen to build his new imperial dty
They came mainly from Rome, bringing with
them an Early Christian style. Eastern influences Buttress
were added to this and a distinct Byzantine style
evolved. C hurches, once based on a longitudinal
design, became centralize~as at Haghia Entrance
Sophia-with an eastern apse and three ais les.
Mosa1 cs depicting angels, archangels and saints, Outer narthex
in hierarchical order, covered the interiors and
the Vtrg1n Mary would be pictured in one of KEY DATES Inner narthex
the domes. Fig.Jres were front -on. wth large, 160 532 1453 1934
penetrating eyes, and set against a gold back· Galleries
klauguratioo of the Atlthemlus of T rales After conquering Haghla Sophia is
ground Sculpture took the form of small relief first Hagha SOphia and ISidore of M ~etus Constantinople, the secularized and These were 04'iginally
carvings, rather than figures. The Byzantines on the site. A bigger are commlsioned to Ottomans con~~ert turned into used by women
church is built in 41 S ; build a new church. Hag hia Sophia into a museum. during services.
were also sophisticated metalworkers, pro-
~ burns dov.n in 532. a rrosque.
ducing bronze church doors inlaid with silver.