For almost 1,000 years Hagia Sophia functioned as a Christian church. Then, following the conquest of Sultan Mehmet II, it was converted into a mosque. For nearly 500 years it remained so, until Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey, declared it a museum. Visitors today can marvel at the curious existence of Christian murals and Koranic verses next to one another.
Christian Church Turned Mosque
Emperor Constantinople's son dedicated the first church on this site in 360. After the first two small basilicas on the site were consecutively destroyed by riots, Emperor Justinian built the church between 532 and 537, today directly across from the famous Blue Mosque. It was the center of Eastern Christianity with the seat of the Orthodox patriarch (similar to the Catholic Pope) until the Ottoman Empire conquest in 1453.
Known then as the Ayasofya Camii, little was changed at first besides adding a minaret. Later, tombs for the sultans, three more minarets, and large shield-like Arabic calligraphic panels were added. Worship here was continued until 1934 with the secularization of Turkey.
Byzantine Art
Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the most important places of historic interest in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia's internal space is one of the greatest in the world, especially notable considering the era in which it was built. Although much of the original gold and marble decor was plundered during the Crusades of 1204, what remains reveals its former splendid beauty.
Gold and intricate designs of leaves covered the interior. Gerhard Gietmann’s article in the Catholic Encyclopedia states that "The altar was of gold inlaid with precious stones; the altar cloth was of brocaded silk in which were woven pictures of Christ, the prophets, and the apostles.” Today, much work is yet to be done to restore the fading mosaics, a concern for world heritage preservationists around the globe. Also worrisome is the location of the building on an active fault line: earthquakes have damaged Hagia Sophia in the past.
Islamic and Christian Elements Side by Side
While Christian mosaics and Islamic tiling mix, the Islamic elements still dominate as the most recent of the religions to occupy the building, including a prayer room built exclusively for the Sultan, and the mihrab and the mimber directing Muslims toward Mecca. But the parting mosaic at the exit is one of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus with Justinian and Constantine: a fitting monument to the founders of the grand basilica and the city Constantinople respectively.
Sources:
Gietmann, Gerhard. "Byzantine Art." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 28 Feb. 2009.
Wegner, Emma. "Hagia Sophia, 532–37". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2004).
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