Hagia Sophia-Istanbul(Click for larger view)

Beautiful interior, skillfully composed and presented.

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

Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is a former Greek

Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and

now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its construction in

537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of

the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when

it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire.

The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was then

secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.

The Church was dedicated to the Wisdom of God, the Logos, the second

person of the Holy Trinity, its patronal feast taking place on 25

December, the commemoration of the Birth of the incarnation of the

Logos in Christ. Although sometimes referred to as Sancta Sophia (as

though it were named after Saint Sophia), sophia being the phonetic

spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom, its full name in Greek

is Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, "Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God".

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

epitome of Byzantine architecture[6] and is said to have "changed the

history of architecture."[7] It remained the world's largest cathedral

for nearly a thousand years thereafter, 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 the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and

Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

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

among other things, a 15-metre (49 ft) silver iconostasis. The focal

point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years,

the building witnessed the excommunication of Patriarch Michael I

Cerularius on the part of Pope Leo IX in 1054, an act which is

commonly considered the start of the Great Schism.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under

Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of the Orthodox

Christianity converted into a mosque. By this point, the Church had

fallen into a state of disrepair. Nevertheless, the Christian

cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers and they

decided to convert it into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis,

and sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics

depicting Jesus, his Mother Mary, Christian saints and angels were

also removed or plastered over. Islamic features – such as the mihrab,

minbar, and four minarets – were added. It remained a mosque until

1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened

in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

Thanks for comments.

Extraordinary image, bravo!

Beautiful picture of a beautiful place full of history. My only note is it would be fair to cite the source when copying text from the internet.

Instructive information but one can also appreciate the technical details you left to the viewers.  This is a photograph taken with skill and talent showing the best of a complex huge beautiful historical site.  Compliments and thanks for sharing your work.

Your presentation of history and your art contribute admirably to this grand place.

As the Hagia Sofia itself! I've been there long time ago, but listen to its history and seeing its look very often on Viasat History!

Best regards, Sadegh!

PDE

Certainly one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and one that is not easy to photograph as this one. 

Thank you all for stopping by & for your comments. I appreciate it very much.

I'm happy that you all like this work.

Best wishes to all of you

Hi Sadegh,

  Beautiful image with amazing interior & well composed.  Take care, Patsy