travel-turkey Hagia Sophia-Istanbul(Click for larger view)

Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta

Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Aya Sofya) is a former Orthodox

patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul,

Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served

as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when

it was the cathedral of the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque

from 29 May 1453 until 1934, when it was secularized. It was opened as

a museum on 1 February 1935.[1]

The Church was dedicated to the Logos, the second person of the Holy

Trinity,[2] its dedication feast taking place on December 25, the

anniversary of the incarnation of the Logos in Christ.[2] Although it

is sometimes referred to as Sancta Sophia (as though it were named

after Saint Sophia), sophia is the phonetic spelling in Latin of the

Greek word for wisdom - the full name in Greek being Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας

τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, "Church of the Holy Wisdom of God".[3][4]

Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the

epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the

history of architecture."[5] It was the largest cathedral in the world

for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in

1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church

between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian

and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the

previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by

Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a

mathematician.[6]

The church contained a large collection of holy relics and featured,

among other things, a 49 foot (15 m) silver iconostasis. It was the

seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point

of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years. It is

the church in which Cardinal Humbert in 1054 excommunicated Michael I

Cerularius - which is commonly considered the start of the Great Schism.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under

Sultan Mehmed II, who subsiquently ordered the building converted into

a mosque.[7] The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels

were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. Islamic

features — such as the mihrab, minbar, and four minarets — were added

while in the possession of the Ottomans. It remained a mosque until

1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia

served as a model for many other Ottoman mosques, such as the Sultan

Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque of Istanbul), the Şehzade Mosque, the

Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque.

Thanks for comments.

Wonderful shot, my friend ... interesting information about this incredible Basilica. Best regards.

Stunning perspective and compo and overall work. BR / Volker

Beautiful, Sadegh, this brings back some nice memories. So beautiful.  Regards 

Thank you all for your comments and ratings, I do appreciate your input and encouragements. Best regards

Not only the image, in the way you presented this masterpiece of architecture is striking, Sadegh, but also the neat summary of the buildings history and significance. Thanks for sharing! Toast to you.

Masterful. Well done, my friend. Regards, Lawrence.

Thank you both for your comments, it's greatly appreciated.

Best regards

Very nice POV, the sense of large space is very-well conveyed in this shot.