Hagia Sophia
Jackson Cunniff
History
The Hagia Sophia is the most historic
church ever built in Eurasia because of
its rich history lasting through multiple
empire’s reigns. Initially constructed in
532 CE under the Byzantine Empire’s
Justinian I. The Hagia Sophia was
completed in a remarkable 6 years
because of its massive arch and dome
system that was similar to the West
Romans but with a square base.
Overall, the objective of the Hagia
Sophia was to create an atmosphere
of spirituality and the feeling of being
connected to god when within the
church. After the Byzantine Empire fell,
Constantinople, where the church is
located, was then under the rule of the
Ottoman Empire that converted it into
a mosque by covering the elements of
Christianity. Finally, after the transition
of Constantinople to Istanbul, fall of the
Ottomans and the rise of Turkey, the
Hagia Sophia is now made into a large
museum that is open to the general
public.
Acknowledgements / Resources
Woodrow Wilson HS
Details
1. 270 ft long and 240 ft wide with a 108 ft in
diameter Dome
2. Present day Istanbul, Turkey.
3. Ruler was Justinian I, architects were
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus
4. Construction began in 532 CE, finished 538
CE
5. Brick and Mortar were used for the Dome
and Marble for the pendentives & interior
walls
Conclusions
The Hagia Sophia is one of the most
important structures in the history of
architecture because after 1500 years
and 3 different empires ruling over, it is
still standing. It has by far the richest
history when connecting the European
Christianity with Asian Islam. The only
critique I have to the architects is that it
is not as ornate and inviting on the
outside as it is inside, regardless I would
still urge anyone to visit this monument if
they had the chance. In summary, the
Hagia Sophia is the only church that has
the ability to showcase 1500 years of
history with impressive feats of
engineering accompanying it.
https://sites.psu.edu/arthistory/2017/03/31/hagia-sophia-where-east-meets-west/