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Hagia Sophia

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Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia being constructed in 532-537 A.D. by Justinian and two architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isiderus of Miletos (156). It took them only 5 years to complete the church; it is located in Istanbul, Turkey once known as Constantinople in the sixth century A.D. (193). The church currently is still standing and currently being worked on to this day. All though it no longer is used as a church, it still has a significant place in the art world due to its architecture, grandness, size, and functionality (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom). The Hagia Sophia was the most magnificent buildings in the city; its name means “Holy Wisdom” and is one of the most popular man-made structures in the world (156). It was “the mother church of the Orthodox faith, After the Ottoman conquest, and the church became an Islamic mosque” (193). In addition, still to this day you can see some of the trappings and calligraphic writings that was saved from that time (193). As of today, it is now a Museum, the mixture of the Byzantine and Islamic aspects make a strong token of the meeting of the West and East (193). There are two different pictures of the exterior and interior of Hagia Sophia on pages 156 Figure 7.4 and page 193 Figure 8.13in the book Experience Humanities by Roy T. Mathews, F. Dewitt Platt and Thomas F.X. Noble.
The Hagia Sophia design constructed by combining three basilical plans with the dome plan design (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom). The structure was based on Byzantine Empire with a combination of Early Greek and Roman style along with Asian/Oriental influences (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom). The construction of the large dome was on a square base rather than having a vaulted roof (192). The arches and spires was rounded, as a typical Byzantine style would be (192). The use of the different colored bricks with limestone and sandstone used on the outside of the structure and formed bands and complex designs (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom).
As for the inside, they used marble for the walls and colored glass mosaics. The central part of the design is a rectangle 250 feet (76 cm) long and 220 feet (67 cm) wide. In addition, the center is squared, the massive dome itself is one hundred and eighty feet above, and one hundred feet across, at that time it was one of the largest domes ever created (156). There was four huge columns at each corner of the square, and not to mention on the East and West of the rectangle roof was two half domes which gave the main dome support and doubled the interior length (156). There was also small domes at each end that they used to give the half domes support as well (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom). Furthermore, there was two huge rounded arches at the North and South exterior of the central square to help support the roof (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom).
The interior space was elaborate with four acres of gold mosaics on the ceiling, as for the walls, floors, and columns they used multicolored marble (Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom). Rich silk banners hung above the altars. The one thing that is fascinating is that “there was very little evidence of images” till 867 when Hagia Sophia received a large collection of figural mosaics, before that time it was mainly floral and geometric designs (191). Virgin and child mosaic was the first image; there is a picture on page 191 Figure 8.8 in the book Experience Humanities by Roy T. Mathews, F. Dewitt Platt, and Thomas F.X. Noble. As for the space, it would have had its advantages with the large dome being 101 feet in diameter and the two half domes doubling the space inside to more than 200 feet and there was two floors (156). There is a picture of the interior on page 193 Figure 8.8 in the book Experience Humanities by Roy T. Mathews, F. Dewitt Platt, and Thomas F.X. Noble.
The climate had its advantages; it created shelter in case of rain or storms but could not find any info on what they did for heat. Furthermore, the Hagia Sophia was heavily damaged by heavy tremors, in the past and needed repaired.
In conclusion, when I first seen this amazing building in the textbook I was fascinated and knew then I wanted to write about it. In addition, as I started doing research on it I got more and more interested in not only the design but also the style and overall craftsmanship of the building. Then to find out that it is still around and being used to this day as a museum I was amazed. The history of this building by itself speaks volumes of the architects back then and the work they have done. For it to be around 1,500 years and still be a big part of the city is mind blowing.
Works Cited
Roy T. Mathews, F. Dewitt Platt and Thomas F.X. Noble. Experience Humanities. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014. Book.
Krystek, Lee. Hagia Sophia: The Place of Holy Wisdom. 2012. 25 Sept. 2014 <http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/hagia_sophia.htm>.

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