One of the most memorable parts of the trip culturally was our trip to the Hangia Sophia. This by far was one of the most talked about places I visited both before and after the trip with my friends. It was interesting to note how close this was to the Blue Mosque and the fact that several pictures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary still existed within what used to be a Mosque. After first being a church, then a mosque, it was finally converted into a museum in the 1920s.
This building is acknowledged as one of the greatest buildings in the world the Hagia Sophia was dedicated to the Logos who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. The Hagia Sophia has several names that it is referred to such as Sancta Sophia or Saint Sophia. Sophia is the phonetic spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom-its full name in Greek means “Church of the Holy Wisdom of God.”
Today the original Hagia Sophia no longer exists. Constantine the Great was the builder and the first Christian emperor. He founded the Constantinople which was also called “the new Rome”. Greek scientists Isadore Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles were the designers. Constantine was successful in building several great churches which included the Hangia Sophia. The Hangia Sophia was rebuilt three times as the first two destroyed by rioters-once by Constantine the Great, second by his son Constantius and the Emperor Theodosius the Great, then a third was built which is the one that presently is able to be seen under the supervision of Emperor Justinian I. Once the third one had been built Justinian said "Solomon, I have outdone thee!".
The most famous part of the church is the massive dome. The building itself is aid to be one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, containing rich mosaics and marble pillars. Many engineers, historians, and engineers have been interested in the dome because of the vision of the architects. At one point the Hangia Sophia was the largest cathedral for nearly 1000 years until the Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. To this day though the Hangia Sophia’s unique character shows how this structure is one of the most advanced and ambitious moments ever built in the world.
Sources:
http://www.hagiasophia.com/
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia
