Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia), Istanbul
Aya Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a
museum, in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive
dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and one
of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It was the largest
cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the
completion of the Medieval Seville Cathedral in 1520.
The current building was originally constructed as a church between
532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was
in fact the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site (the
previous two had both been destroyed by riots). It was designed by two
architects, Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. The Church
contained a large collection of holy relics and featured, among other
things, a 50-foot (15 m) silver iconostasis. It was the patriarchal
church of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focus
point of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire for nearly 1000 years.
In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan
Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque. The
bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and
many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. The Islamic
features - such as the four minarets outside, the mihrab and minbar -
were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It
remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum
by the secular Republic of Turkey.
For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia
served as a model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan
Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque of Istanbul), the Sehzade Mosque, the
S�leymaniye Mosque, and the R�stem Pasha Mosque.
Although it is sometimes referred to as Saint Sophia, the full name is
Church of the Holy Wisdom of God - and it was dedicated to the Holy
Wisdom of God rather than a specific saint named
Sophia.....(www.wikipedia.org)
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