Floor Mosaic Of Hagia Sophia

Holy wisdom officially the hagia sophia grand mosque turkish.
Floor mosaic of hagia sophia. The sultan mehmed ii of ottoman empire adored the building and made the necessary renovations. The dimensions of the extant structure show hagia sophia s near square shape. Though covered and uncovered more than once throughout the history mosaics outstand on the walls of this masterpiece. Dome of hagia sophia is the hagia sophia still a church or a mosque.
The angel mosaic after it was uncovered at hagia sophia museum in 2009. Hagia sophia mosaics were commissioned by different byzantine emperors during the 9 th and 13 th centuries ottomans additions date back to 15 th and 19 th centuries. On the contrary to the general view there were almost no figurative images in justinian hagia sophia geometric embellishments flower fruit ornamentations. The structure and first dome which partially collapsed in 557 ce were first completed in 537 ce.
History of hagia sophia. Riba london and university of london. Length 269 feet 81 m width 240 feet 73 m. Epa the bowl of the dome is believed to have once been adorned by a huge cross and later a mosaic of christ pantocrator.
The fascinating mosaics of hagia sophia tell us many mysterious things about the history of this 1 500 year old edifice. The hagia sophia had been built as a church. Today s hagia sophia has been serving as a museum for 85 years thanks to this fact it is possible to see traces of both christianity and islam at the same time. Following turkey s decision to annul the 1934 conversion of constantinople s hagia sophia into a museum paving the way for its reconversion into a mosque questions.
Hagia sophia interior mosaics and the byzantine art. Ayasofya i kebir cami i şerifi and formerly the church of hagia sophia is a late antique place of worship in istanbul built in 537 as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial. Hagia sophia ˈ h ɑː ɡ i ə s oʊ ˈ f iː ə. The original church on the site of the hagia sophia is said to have been ordered to be built by constantine i in 325 on the foundations of a pagan temple.
If istanbul s hagia sophia gets turned into a mosque as many expect it will its precious byzantine mosaic icons are likely to be covered up during muslim prayers. It stayed as a church from 537 to 1453 for nearly 900 years as the constantinople was captured by ottoman turks in 1453 it was converted into a mosque. The cupola of the current dome hovers 180 feet 55 m above the mosaic floor. Questions are being asked about the fate of numerous christian mosaics inside the hagia sophia after the turkish government s decision to re convert the hagia sophia museum into a mosque greek reporter said on saturday.
His son constantius ii consecrated it in 360. Karar news website reported on saturday that curtains and folding screens will likely be used to cover the site s many christian mosaics icons and symbols during muslim.