If you happen to spend time in Istanbul, the one thing that you really should do is to visit the most magnificent building in the world perhaps. Saint Sophia, one truly awesome construction where Christianity and Islam dwell together. If you, on some reason, happen to miss this splendid edifice, which will happen when pigs have wings, because every tourist bus makes a stop between Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Saint Sophia, it will be like visiting Rome without facing Pope at his balcony. But what is that thing, which takes your breath away and turns this structure into one of the most astonishing buildings in the world? Is it its glorious Byzantine architecture, or its beautiful mosaics, or its thrilling history? Even Saint Sophia’s name is magical – Hagia Sophia, which means Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God, derived from Greek. 

One of the most intriguing facts about Hagia Sophia is that this edifice served as a church, a mosque, and a museum in its long history. It served as Eastern Orthodox Cathedral since 537 to 1204; since 1204 to 1261 it was a Roman Catholic Cathedral; it was Eastern Orthodox Cathedral again since 1261 to 1453; then due to Ottoman conquest it served as Imperial Mosque since 1453 to 1931, and since 1935 to present days it serves as a museum owing to the founder of the Republic of Turkey and first Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This building is exactly that complex as it seems, but this entanglement makes it so unusual and gripping. It is a site, which one must see and experience in their lifetime. 

During the Byzantine Period the first church on today’s Saint Sophia site was built by the order of Constantius II and inaugurated by the Arian bishop Eudoxius of Antioch on 15 February 360.  Its name was “Magna Ecclesia”, derived from Latin, which means “Great Church”. Due to the fire blazed on 20 June 404, the wooden church burned out, and on its site a new one was built in 416. Its architecture was Rufinus and it was financed by Theodosius II. Unfortunately, it has a similar fate – owing to a fire that started during the disturbance of the Nika Revolt this second church was burned down to the ground in 532. A few weeks later the emperor Justinian I built a third, larger and entirely different basilica, which is today’s current structure of Hagia Sophia. Its architects were the physicist Isidore of Miletus and the mathematician Anthemius of Tralles. The church’s building began on 23 February 532 and it was finished after only 5 years and 10 months. It was opened for visitors on Christmas day (the annual commemoration by Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ, 25 December), 537. The emperor’s aim was to turn this new sacred place for homage of larger and grander temple than Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. One hundred masters and 10 000 constructors took part of church’s building. They worked hard day and night. The marble tables, which were used during Saint Sophia’s building, were brought from Anatolia and Mediterranean Sea’s countries. Four pillars are erecting by the two sides of the entry room, which are brought from Ephesus.  The imposing dome (by which Hagia Sophia is so famous nowadays), was built of bricks and tiles from Rhodes. It is the second biggest dome in the world, only Pantheon in Rome has bigger one. In a matter of fact, when the dome was erected, the wall began to lean outward and the supporting walls for the dome were built. Saint Sophia was constructed with 107 pillars, 40 of which are set in the entry room while the rest 67 are set in the galleries on the second floor. Presumably 75 million golden coins were spent for church’s building. 

Saint Sophia is well-known for its beautiful mosaics. Sad to say, few of them are preserved. Reading about mosaics’ history and looking the standing ones, one could not help but wonder how much damage time but mostly human’s hand could do. During Iconoclasm, Hagia Sophia’s saints and religious scenes depicted on the mosaics were commuted with ordinary cruciform themes. After Iconoclasm in 843, interest to religious motifs was renewed. Venerable emperor’s depictions started to adorn Saint Sophia’s mosaics. Regrettably, in 1204, during the fourth crusade, Latin crusaders plundered Hagia Sophia, and its stunning mosaics were removed to Venice. 

Probably a less-known fact is that Muhammad had prophesied that the first Muslim who will pray in Hagia Sophia would go to paradise. After a 54-day siege of Constantinople, Mehmed II, The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, conquered the city on 29 May 1453. Mehmed II ordered Hagia Sophia to be turned into mosque. On 3 June 1453 Mehmed II officiate first Friday prayer. The Sultan spent a lot of money to convert the church into mosque. In the beginning a mihrab was built and a minaret of brick was erected. Replacing the monks’ cell, a madrasa for 150 students was built. It has twelve auditoriums, one yard and a reservoir. Since Islam interdicts the religious effigies in the place for prayer, the splendid Saint Sophia’s mosaics were covered with a thin plaster layer. In XV century the second minaret was erected. The third and the fourth were erected in XVI century by the eminent architect Mimar Sinan. 

On 1 February 1935, Hagia Sophia was converted into museum thanks to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first Turkish president. Representatives of The Byzantine Institute of America fetched down mosaics’ plaster layer and stuck on its broken pieces. In one of the mosaics Virgin Mary with young Jesus is depicted, receiving new secular centre (Constantinople) from Constantine the Great on one hand, and new spiritual centre (Saint Sophia) from Justinian the Great on the other. Another well-known mosaic is Deesis – it is a representation of Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, and Christ Pantocrator carrying a book. 

Hagia Sophia is a resplendent symbol of Byzantine architecture. Saint Sophia is the fourth largest church in the world. Its grandeur dome, its marble interior, its golden ceilings, the way sunlight is pervading through church’s windows (there are 40 windows in worshippers’ area, which is famous for its reflecting arcane light), its huge size make one feel they are in a more sublime, more massive place in which one could never have gone to. In a place like this, one really senses their intimacy with God. 

For about one thousand years Hagia Sophia was considered as Christianity’s largest sacred place. On 16 July 1054, in the church of the Holy Wisdom, a disaster unfolded for Christianity. It was during a service when a papal delegation placed on the altar a document excommunicating the Patriarch, the leader of the Church in Constantinople. In return, the Patriarch excommunicated the Pope. A split between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Western Catholic Christianity known as the Great Schism or East-West Schism had occurred. Perchance, this is one of the facts that make Dan Brown to include this splendid building as a clue in his new novel Inferno, or maybe it is the fact that this same building served as a temple of three different religions – Christianity, Islam, and Paganism. Either way, there is something mysterious, something that could not be described simply with the word divinity; one has to set their foot in it in order to feel Hagia Sophia’s heavenly enchantment. 

One should see Saint Sophia’s galleries, the loge of the empress, Sultan’s lodge, the marble door, the mosaics, Mahmut I’s library, the wishing column, and even museum’s tombs. Just take your time to really see this august construction and you will be fascinated. 

 

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