The Hagia Sophia is a long-enduring symbol of the cosmopolitan city just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Parthenon in Athens. However, its role in the history of Istanbul as notable as the structure is itself and it is also significant and touches upon matters related to international politics, religion, art and architecture.
The Hagia Sophia has served for centuries as a landmark for both Orthodox Christians and Muslims as it anchors the Old City of Istanbul, as the had shifted with its significance.
The Bosporus strait which is a waterway that serves as a geographic border between Europe and Asia serves as a straddle for Istanbul. Thus the Turkish city of nearly 15 million residents lies in both continents.
What Is the Hagia Sophia?
For the Greek Orthodox Christian Church the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) was originally built as a basilica. However, several times in the centuries since its function has changed.
The first Hagia Sophia was constructed in 360 A.D by Byzantine Emperor Constantius. Istanbul was known as Constantinople at the time of the first church’s construction, taking its name from the first ruler of the Byzantine Empire Constantius’ father, Constantine I.
A wooden roof was the featured in the first Hagia Sophia. During the riots in 404 A.D. that occurred in Constantinople the structure was burnt to the ground. It happened as a result of political conflicts within the family of then-Emperor Arkadios, who had a tumultuous reign from 395 to 408 A.D.
The Hagia Sophia was rebuilt and the new structure was completed in 415 by Arkadios’ successor, Emperor Theodosios II. The second Hagia Sophia was also covered by a wooden roof and contained five naves and a monumental entrance.
However, this would again prove to be a fatal flaw for this important basilica of the Greek Orthodox faith a little more than one century later, as during the so-called “Nika revolts” against Emperor Justinian I, who ruled from 527 to 565 the structure was burned for a second time.
Hagia Sophia History:
Justinian ordered the demolition of the Hagia Sophia in 532 being unable to repair the damage caused by the fire. Renowned architects Isidoros (Milet) and Anthemios (Tralles) were commissioned by him to build a new basilica.
In 537 the third Hagia Sophia was completed which remains standing today. On December 27, 537 the first religious services in the “new” Hagia Sophia were held. Emperor Justinian is reported to have prayed at that time, “My Lord, thank you for giving me the chance to create such a worshipping place.”
The Hagia Sophia’s Design:
The third and final Hagia Sophia was indeed a remarkable structure from its opening. The traditional design elements of an Orthodox basilica consist of a large, domed roof, and a semi-domed altar with two narthex (or “porches”).
Mosaics of six winged angels called hexapterygon covered the supporting arches of the dome. Emperor Justinian decreed that all provinces under his rule send architectural pieces to use in its construction in an effort to create a grand basilica that represented all of the Byzantine Empire.
Anatolia (present-day eastern Turkey) and Syria produced the marble used for the floor and ceiling, while North Africa produced other bricks used for production. Enormous marble slabs that are said to have been designed to imitate moving water lined the interior of Hagia Sophia.
And, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, as well as from Egypt imported the Hagia Sophia’s 104 columns. The building measures some 240 feet in width and 269 feet in length and the domed roof stretches some 180 feet into the air at its highest point.
The first dome's replacement was designed by Isidore the Younger (the nephew of Isidoros, one of the original architects) with structural ribs and a more pronounced arc when the first dome suffered a partial collapse in 557, and this version of the structure remains in place today.
This central dome rests on a ring of windows and two arched openings to create a large nave as well as two semi-domes gives it the support.
Intricate Byzantine mosaics made from gold, silver, glass, terra cotta and colorful stones originally lined the walls of the structure with portraying well-known scenes and figures from the Christian Gospels.
Hagia Sophia’s Tumultuous History:
The Hagia Sophia was considered the central church of the faith as Greek Orthodox was the official religion of the Byzantines, and it thus became the place where new emperors were crowned.
There is an Omphalion (navel of the earth), a large circular marble section of colorful stones in an intertwining circular design, in the floor where all these ceremonies took place.
For much of its first 900 years of existence the Hagia Sophia served this pivotal role in Byzantine culture and politics. However, the city of Constantinople, and by extension the Hagia Sophia, was under Roman control for a brief period in the 13th century during the Crusades.
When the Byzantines once again took control of the surrounding city the Hagia Sophia which got severely damaged during this period got repaired.
When the Ottomans, led by Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmed—known as Mehmed the Conqueror—captured Constantinople in 1453 the next significant period of change for the Hagia Sophia began within the next 200 years. The city was renamed as Istanbul by the Ottomans.
Renovations to the Hagia Sophia:
The Hagia Sophia was renovated into a mosque as Islam was the central religion of the Ottomans. Many of the original Orthodox-themed mosaics got covered by Ottomans with Islamic calligraphy designed by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet as part of the conversion.
The panels or medallions feature the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four Caliphs, and the Prophet’s two grandsons, which were hung on the columns in the nave.
The mosaic on the main dome was also covered by gold calligraphy as its believed to be an image of Christ. As the traditions in mosques, a mihrab or nave was installed in the wall to indicate the direction toward Mecca, one of the holy cities of Islam.
Two bronze lamps on each side of the mihrab was installed by Ottoman Emperor Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (1520 to 1566), while Sultan Murad III (1574 to 1595) added two marble cubes from the Turkish city of Bergama, which date back to 4 B.C.
The original building during this period got added with fort minarets, partly to fortify the structure following earthquakes that struck the city around this time as well as partly for religious purposes (for the muezzin call to prayer) .
The Hagia Sophia underwent an extensive renovation led by Swiss architects the Fossati brothers between 1847 and 1849 under the rule of Sultan Abdülmecid. The Hünkâr Mahfili (a separate compartment for emperors to use for prayer) was removed at this time and replaced with another near the mihrab.
Hagia Sofia Today:
Even 100 years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire the role of Hagia Sophia in politics and religion remains a contentious and important one.
From 1935—nine years after the Republic of Turkey was established by Ataturk—the national government opened the legendary structure as a museum in 2020.
Some Islamic religious leaders in the country sought to have the Hagia Sophia once again opened as a mosque in the beginning of 2013. But President Erdoğan and the Turkish Council of State reclassified it as a mosque in July 2020.
Written by: Gourav Chowdhury
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