Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

537

6040

Anthemios of Tralles

Isidore of Miletus, I

Bugbee, Gordon (photograph)

Byzantine

Single Built Works

Turkey (nation)

Istanbul (inhabited place)

Byzantine

churches (buildings)

interior views

Interior view of the church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. "The vast, airy naos, or central basilica, with its technically complex system of vaults and semi-domes, culminates in a high central dome with a diameter of over 101 feet (31 meters) and a height of 160 feet (48.5 meters). This central dome was often interpreted by contemporary commentators as the dome of heaven itself. Its weight is carried by four great arches, which rest on a series of tympana and semi-domes, which in turn rest on smaller semi-domes and arcades ... The interior of Hagia Sophia was paneled with costly colored marbles and ornamental stone inlays. Decorative marble columns were taken from ancient buildings and reused to support the interior arcades. Initially, the upper part of the building was minimally decorated in gold with a huge cross in a medallion at the summit of the dome ... After Mehmed II's conquest of the city in 1453, Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque (Ayasofya Camii), which it remained until the fall of the Ottoman empire in the early twentieth century,"--The Metropolitan Museum of Art website.

concrete

marble (rock)

Height: 160 feet

jpeg

48

©2013 Lawrence Technological University. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes without the explicit permission of LTU.

GPB-BYZ2-1786