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| Peter Kwok | profile | all galleries >> Greece and Turkey 2015 >> Turkey >> Istanbul >> Hagia Sophia | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map |
| The most famous historical site in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia was a Christian church, a Muslim mosque and is a museum now. The Greek words “Hagia Sophia” mean “Holy Wisdom” as this church is dedicated to the Wisdom of God, or Logos, the pre-existent Second Person of the Trinity. |
| Completed in 573 AD during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justin II, it was the third church built on this site. The first two were destroyed by fire. For nearly a thousand years, it was the focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church until 1453, when the Ottoman Turk conquered Constantinople. On order by Sultan Mehmed II, it was converted into a mosque with new decorations. Mosaic images of Jesus and Christian saints were covered with plasters. Four minarets were erected around the building. After the Turkish republic turned it into a museum in 1935, the Byzantine mosaics were gradually uncovered and restored. |
| To provide a large rectangular interior, the architecture is based on a large dome flanked by two semi-domes. For 1000 years, it was the largest cathedral in the world. It became a model for many large Ottoman mosques. |
 Hagia Sophia |
 Hagia Sophia at Dusk |
 Hagia Sophia Interior |
 Dome of Hagia Sophia |
 Hagia Sophia South Gallery |
 Medallion & Mosaics |
 Apse of Hagia Sophia |
 Apse of Hagia Sophia |
 Imperial Gate Mosaic |
 Southwestern Vestibule Mosaic |
 Apse Mosaic |
 Deësis Mosaic |
 Upper Gallery |
 Hagia Sophia South Gallery |
 View of South Gallery |
 Face of an Angel |
 Absolution Fountain |
 Monumental Almhouse Gate |
 Remnants of Second Church |
 Mihrab at the Apse |
 Entering Hagia Sophia |
 Nave and Gallery |
 Broken Cross |
 Imperial Gate |
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