Photos of the Beautiful Byzantine Hagia Sophia Mosaic Art

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Photos of the Beautiful Byzantine Hagia Sophia Mosaic Art, Istanbul. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Beautiful Byzantine Hagia Sophia Mosaic Art

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Photos of Hagia Sophia ( Aya Sophia ) Basilica Byzantine Mosaic Art, Istanbul.

Justinian I

Completed in 537 by Roman Emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest churches ever built. 1500 year on it still is source of awe & wonder to its visitors.

The shear size of Hagia Sophia is awe inspiring even by modern standards and the mathematics used to create such a vast dome demonstrates how sophisticated ancient engineers were.

The Biggest Church for 1000 Years

The fist dome of Hagia Sophia collapsed during an earthquake on 7th of May 558. It was rebuilt with lighter materials and 30 feet higher by Isidorus the Younger, nephew of Isidore of Miletus to a height of 55.6 metres (182 ft) high. The size of Hagia Sophia wasn’t beaten for 1000 years until the cathedral of Seville was built.

The Sacking of Constantinople

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) took and sacked Constantinople and most of the treasures and relics from Hagia Sophia were looted by the Venetians who used took them back to Venice to adorn the Basilica of Saint Marks. The wonderful Byzantine panels that can be seen on the facade of St Marks give some idea of how wonderful Hagia Sophia was.

Fall of Constantinople to Islam

Most of the Christian Byzantine mosaics were lost when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque. Islam doesn’t allow depictions of people in its religious art, so all the frescoes and mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible & New testament, were either removed or painted over.

Hagia Sophia Become a Museum

In 1935, the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed the building into a museum. Explorations of the building uncovered Byzantine mosaics. The apse revealed a mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Child. Other mosaics were uncovered depicting Jesus Christ with Mary & John the Baptist. Other mosaics depicted Byzantine Emperors and Empresses.

Hagia Sophia Becomes a Mosque Again

Controversially in July 2016 the Hagia Sophia started to be used as a mosque again. In 2020 president Erdoğan ordered that the Hagia Sophia was to be rehallowed as a mosque. During prayers the mosque is closed to visitors and the Byzantine mosaics are hidden behind curtains. The Apse mosaic and any other that can’t be reached easily are hidden behind laser lights. Between prayers the mosque is open free to all visitors.

Controversy

This has cause outrage from UNESCO who see the Hagia Sophia as a secular building and the Pope who sees the Hagia Sophia having more rights to be Christian than Muslim.