An
Architectural Masterpiece; Hagia Sophia
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.
