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 The most
important Byzantine architecture found in Istanbul
consists of churches. The most magnificent of all of the
Byzantine churches is the Hagia Sophia. This church was
designed by the architects Anthemios of Tralles and
Izidorus of Miletus. This construction of the second
Hagia Sophia was started in 532 by the order of the
Emperor Justinian and was built over the ruins of an
earlier structure. Materials were brought from Ephesus,
Athens, Rome, and Delphi and were used in the
construction of this magnificent building. The church was
opened for worship five years later, in 537. The Hagia
Sophia has a diameter of 31-33 meters and a height of 54
meters and is covered with a large dome. The church was
considerably damaged by the earthquake of 557 and the
nephew of the Architect Izidorus supervised the repair of
the structure.
Because Byzantium was strongly under the intluence of
Rome at the time of the construction of the Hagia Sophia,
this structure is an amalgam of the magnificence of Roman
architecture with the standard church architecture of the
Byzantines. The original mosaics of the church were
severely damaged by the Iconoclasts, but new mosaics
replaced the former in the 9th century after the period
of Iconoclasm had disappeared. Besides the religious
subjects of the mosaics used to decorate the interior
surfaces, the emperor was also used as a subject. One
mosaic depicts the Virgin Mary with the emperors
Justinian and Constantine sitting at her sides. Another
mosaic shows Jesus sitting on a throne with the Emperor
Leon 7 kneeling before him. Another mosaic is of Mary and
John the Baptist imploring Jesus for mercy in the name of
the people. All these mosaics bear traces of Hellenistic
influences. There are also several mosaic "portraits" of
other members of the imperial family. Portrait art was
very advanced during the Byzantine period. After Fatih
captured the city this structure was used for worship by
the Moslems. In 1934 Ataturk ordered that the structure
be used as a museum.
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