Hagia Sophia is also known as the great mosque
of the Ayasofya and as the church of Hagia Sophia is a place of worship situated in the
country of Istanbul. This church was initially built in the year
of 360 AD. Hagia Sophia has been demolished and reconstructed
many times in the past and it is one of the best architecture places of worship in Istanbul. Construction history of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was initially constructed by Emperor Constantine. However, the initial role of the Hagia Sophia
was not as a place of worship, but rather it was built to be served as a basilica for
the Greek church. The construction of the church was commissioned
in the year 360. Constantine was the emperor of the Byzantine
empire and so the credit of building Hagia Sophia goes to the Byzantine emperor. Initially, the Hagia Sophia was built from
woods and the roof was made entirely out of the wood. However soon enough the church was burned
because of the riots caused by the political conflict in the family of then emperor Arakidos. The year this occurred was 404. After that, Emperor Arakidos stepped down
as the king and was succeeded by the Emperor Theodosius II. He rebuilt the Hagia Sophia and completed
the new Hagia Sophia in the year 415. Unlike the previous Hagia Sophia, the new
ones had five naves and monumental entrance. However, the roof of the place was still covered
with wood. After one century, the Hagia Sophia was again
burnt to ashes due to the fire caused by the Nika revolt. The Nika revolt was conducted against Emperor
Justinian II who ruled from 527 to 565. After Emperor Justinian II saw the Hagia Sophia
burnt, he ordered the reconstruction of the basilica. However, the condition was now so bad, that
they had to demolish the Hagia Sophia. After destroying the Hagia Sophia the emperor
ordered Isidoros (Milet) and Anthemios (Tralles), two renowned architectures to build a new
basilica. He named it Hagia Sophia and it was completed
in the year 537 within 6 years. The design of the Hagia Sophia
The initial design of Hagia Sophia and the current standing Hagia Sophia had a contrasting
difference. Hagia Sophia has a mix of the orthodox basilica
and also had a large domed roof and a semi domed altar with two narthexes. The domes of the newly built Hagia Sophia
are covered by the mosaics of the six-winged angels which are commonly known as Hexapterygon. The newly built Hagia Sophia had new features
when compared to the original Hagia Sophia. This time, the marble from which the floor
and roof have been made was imported from Turkey (called Anatolia in the past) and Syria. The other bricks were brought from distant
places such as North Africa. According to the studies, the interior design
of the Hagia Sophia was made to look like flowing water. The roof of Hagia Sophia was made from wood
and the piers were attached to support the great body and weight of the building. This led to a disbalance of the weight and
the structure almost collapsed due to its weight. The building of Hagia Sophia was completed
quickly and this led to its collapsing again after some time. Next, the builders thought of keeping the
dome in place by supporting it with a chain, this led to some problems, and the building
again collapsed due to its weight issue. Finally, Isidoros (Milet) and Anthemios (Tralles)
managed to support the roof of the building just like the way it is now. This time it was more stable and that has
led to the structure lasting for more than 1500 years. Another good thing to notice is that the seating
plan of Hagia Sophia was divided into two levels. There were seats at the top and seats at the
bottom. This division was done so that segregation
of the people could take place according to their gender and class. This makes sure that the rich and powerful
people always sat on the top while the lower- and middle-class people seated at the bottom
when there was an event or service in the basilica. The initial interior design of the Hagia Sophia
was quite simple and plain. There were no mosaics in it as there are now. When the new Hagia Sophia was built after
the destruction of the original one, the murals were added on the walls by the various emperors
who ruled the empire of present-day Istanbul. After the falling of the Byzantine empire,
the sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed II took over Istanbul and he made some changes
to the Hagia Sophia. The sultan and his successors added the four
minarets outside the Hagia Sophia and also added new caliphs mosaic in the interior. The pre-existing mosaics were all covered
by paint and caliph were added on the pillars. In the year 1847 and 1849, the Hagia Sophia
again underwent certain changes and swiss architecture style was added to the hagia
Sophia. This led to the present day, Hagia Sophia. The religious history of Hagia Sophia
Initially, the Hagia Sophia was not built as a church, but as a basilica for the church. This all happened in the reign of Constantine
and his successors. However, in the year 1453, the byzantine empire
falls prey to the Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire. They took over the Hagia Sophia and made certain
changes to its design and its function. From a place where the kings were crowned,
the place becomes a worship ground of the Muslim people. Hagia Sophia Now
When in 1935, the republic of turkey was formed, and then the government declared the Hagia
Sophia as a museum that attracts several people from all over the world till now. It was said that in 2020 this place would
again be opened as a place for worship of the Muslim religion.
