The Holy Wisdom (PART 1)

I thought I would be writing about the current interesting topic revolving history and architecture with a spice of political turmoil and fascinating cultures that is Hagia Sophia in Modern day Turkey. The named ‘Hagia Sophia’ which was meant the ‘Holy Wisdom’ was originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church.

Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction in 360 A.D. At the time, Istanbul was known as Constantinople. The first Hagia Sophia featured a wooden roof and was burned to the ground during the riots that occurred as a result of political conflicts.

It was then rebuilt and completed in 415 containing five naves and a monumental entrance and was also covered by a wooden roof. But more than a century later, the structure was burned for a second time during the so-called “Nika revolts”. Unable to repair the damage caused by the fire, Justinian ordered the demolition of the Hagia Sophia in 532. He commissioned renowned architects Isidoros and Anthemios to build a new basilica which was completed in 537, and it remains standing today.

All and all, Hagia Sophia combined the traditional design elements of an Orthodox basilica with a large, domed roof, and a semi-domed altar with two narthex “porches”.

The dome’s supporting arches were covered with mosaics of six winged angels called hexapterygon.

In an effort to create a grand basilica that represented all of the Byzantine Empire, Emperor Justinian decreed that all provinces under his rule send architectural pieces for use in its construction.

In such case, the marble used for the floor and ceiling was produced in Anatolia and Syria, while some of the bricks came from as far away as North Africa. Last but not least, Hagia Sophia’s 104 columns were imported from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, as well as from Egypt.

The building measures some 269 feet in length and 240 feet in width and, at its highest point, the domed roof stretches some 180 feet into the air. This central dome rests on a ring of windows and is supported by two semi-domes and two arched openings to create a large nave, the walls of which were originally lined with intricate Byzantine mosaics made from gold, silver, glass, terra cotta and colourful stones. Where it served as this pivotal role in Byzantine and Christian’s culture and politics for much of its first 900 years of existence.

The next significant period of change for the Hagia was when the Ottomans, led by Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmed also known as Mehmed the Opener where he seized Constantinople in 1453. The Ottomans renamed the city Istanbul.

As Islam was the central religion of the Ottomans, the Hagia Sophia was bought and renovated into a mosque. As part of the conversion, the Ottomans covered many of the original Orthodox-themed mosaics with Islamic calligraphy designed by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet.

The panels or medallions, which were hung on the columns in the nave, feature the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four Caliphs, and the Prophet’s two grandsons.

The mosaic on the main dome believed to be an image of Christ was also covered by gold calligraphy.

A mihrab or nave was installed in the wall, four minarets were also added to the original building during this period, partly for the muezzin call to prayer and partly to fortify the structure following earthquakes that struck the city around this time.

Between 1847 and 1849, the Hagia Sophia underwent an extensive renovation led by Swiss architects the Fossati brothers. And on 1935, nine years after the Republic of Turkey was established by Ataturk, the legendary structure has been operated as a museum by the national government, and it reportedly attracts more than three million visitors annually.

To be continued ...