Skip to main content

Hagia Sophia - The Church of Holy Wisdom

The Hagia Sophia
(Ο Αγια Σοφια)
(Greek pronunciation Ah-YEE-ah So-FEE-ah)

The Hagia Sophia (aka Saint Sophia, Sancta Sophia, or Church of Divine Wisdom) was first built in the fourth century in Constantinople (now known under the Turkish name of Istanbul). That church was destroyed in a revolt, and the current building was erected on orders of Roman Emperor Justinian I in AD 532 and took five years and 10,000 workers to build. It was the center of the Orthodox Church for a thousand years and also the place of the coronation of the Byzantine Emperors. When Constantinople was captured in 1453 by the Muslim Turks they changed the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, and built several more (including the Sulemaniye and Blue Mosques) based on the Hagia Sophia. (The four minarets [towers] and some buttressing were added to the building by the Turks.) Ayasofya, as it is now called, became a museum in 1935 on order of Mustafa Kemal Attaturk (the founder of the modern Turkish Republic), and many Byzantine icons and images have since been uncovered after centuries under plaster.

Recently the museum was converted back to a mosque by the Neo-Ottoman President of Turkey.  He is covering up the mosaics and artwork during prayertime, but promises to reveal it when Muslims are not worshipping there.  We will see if this really happens.




This is a 17th Century painting of how the Hagia Sofia may have looked when first built

Approximate reconstruction of how the Church appeared in the 12th century


A mosaic depicting the church at its peak of glory


An aerial view of the Ayasofya mosque as it is today

A view of the building from the south


An interior view of the Hagia Sophia, facing East (as a museum, before it’s reconversion)
Note: the Sultan's box to your front left, as well as the round Muslim plaques - each plaque is 25 feet across! The central dome itself (not visible in this pic) is over 180 feet above the ground


  

Some prominent Icons uncovered since Ataturk’s time
1. An icon of Christos Pantokrator (Christ the Ruler of the Universe) from the Deesis icon
2. An icon of Christ flanked by Emperor Constantine IX and Empress Zoe

Below: A Gallery of Computer-Generated Images of the Great Church (from a Russian journal article by P. Sergeev)












CHURCHES BASED ON THE HAGIA SOPHIA
Many churches have copied St. Sophia's design and made it their own.  Here are some I've found over the years, and you may feel free to share in the comments.  (Those in bold underline have an especially striking resemblance, IMHO.)

ORTHODOX
  • Annunciation Cathedral (Columbus, OH)
  • Annunciation Cathedral (Detroit, MI)
  • Annunciation Cathedral (Dayton, OH)
  • Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (New York, NY)
  • Hagia Sophia [Not the Mosque, the new Church] (Nicosia, Cyprus)
  • Hagia Sophia (London, UK)
  • Holy Church of Timiou Prodromou (Dromolaxia, Cyprus)
  • Holy Transfiguration (Marietta, GA)
  • Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sibiu, Romania)
  • Holy Trinity Church (Glyfada, Greece)
  • Poti Soboro Cathedral (Poti, Georgia)
  • Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas (Kronstadt, Russia) - St. Sophia bigger and better!
  • St. Nedelya's Church (Sofia, Bulgaria)
  • St. Nektarios' Church (Charlotte, NC)
  • St. Nicholas' Cathedral (Tarpon Springs, FL)
  • St. Sava's Temple (Belgrade, Serbia) - Even taller than the original!!
  • St. Palamas' Church (Thessaloniki, Greece)
  • St. Paul's Church (Thessaloniki, Greece)
  • St. Sophia's Church (Washington, DC)
  • St. Sophia's Church (Bialystok, Poland)
  • Transfiguration Monastery (Milesi, Greece)

ROMAN CATHOLIC
  • St. Anselm's [Interior] (Bronx, NY)
  • St. Espirit (Holy Spirit) (Paris, France)
  • St. Francis De Sales (Philadelphia)
  • St. Louis Cathedral Basilica (St. Louis, MO)
  • Sts. Michael & Anthony (Motreal, QC, Canada)

PROTESTANT
  • Christ Church, United Methodist [Interior] (New York, NY)
  • Church of the Redeemer (Bad Homburg, Germany)
  • First Presbyterian [Interior] (Buffalo, NY)
  • Lakewood Cemetery Chapel (Minneapolis, MN)
  • St. Bartholomew's [Interior] (New York, NY)
  • Westminster Presbyterian (Sacramento, CA)


LINKS OF INTEREST


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Layman’s Bible Review: KJV Large Print Pew Bible (Thomas Nelson)

King James Version Large Print Pew Bible (Thomas Nelson) I had the chance to check this volume out from the public library. Pew Bibles used to be hardcover yet somewhat cheap. This one is hardcover, and is inexpensive but cheap it ain’t!  The size is excellent; it is easy to carry and store. It’s not too thick, too small, or too big. The print is wonderful! Nelson has really hit it out of the park with their Comfort Print fonts, and their KJV offering is perhaps the best of the lot. It is bold and easy to see but - unlike some older large or giant print Bibles, it is not stretched in any way. Did I mention it is Large Print? As in 12 point Large Print? My aging eyes don’t need reading glasses to read this one; indeed, I could read this with glasses at all! I’m not a big red letter fan (“I like Bibles where all God’s words are black  letter”) but this one is fairly dark, brownish red which is much better. Iv would think this has less a chance to fade with time. Not only is the
1 comment
Read more

A Simple Layman's Guide to Bible Translations

( This page in PDF ) Over the years, I have purchased many translations (and used several apps) of the Bible in my desire to know God's Word better. Since I do not know Greek and Hebrew, and since I know that perfect translation between two languages is impossible, owning and reading several translations is the best way for the average English speaker to get a good sense of what the divinely inspired authors of the Scriptures wish to say.   I will speak on several popular as well as not-so-known translations of the Scriptures (the ones I have come into more than passing contact with) in hopes that the visitors to this site will get some good use out of them. In my reviews, I will go translation by translation and give a general overview of each translation, as well as good points and bad points of each one.    I have recently added my special “Deity of Christ” measurement, based on the verses at the end and how they translate passages which teach Jesus’ Godhead.  1 point for fully
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome back!

Hi! I’m back, sort of. I’d like to pick back up with my web presence, though at this time it will be more limited and more re-released and update content I’ve posted in the past, theological and historical mainly. Some humor perhaps, no politics at this point. God bless!
Post a Comment
Read more