ENTRY TYPE
General |
SUMMARY
The church of Hagia Sophia, the hallmark of Justinianic architecture and one of the supreme achievements of all Byzantine architecture was the largest building in the Byzantine capital. Though made up of elements current in the 6th century, its design was both original and unique, since it would not be imitated until the 16th-c Ottoman mosques. It also marks a turning point in the symbolic understanding of Byzantine religious architecture. A legend and a symbol of the capital during both Byzantine and Ottoman period (when it turned into a mosque), it went under several restorations and modifications throughout the centuries and is today a museum (Aya Sofya Müzesi), while it figures some of the finest examples of Byzantine monumental painting in Constantinople. |
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