BYZANTINE HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a former Greek Orthodox cathedral, later a mosque, and is now the
second most visited museum in Turkey. Considered an architectural marvel since its
construction in 537, it has even been called the Eighth Wonder of the World, and is now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. This magnificent building is even more interesting as it embodies
the turbulent history of Istanbul.
The city was founded as Byzantium around 660 BCE. In 330, it was chosen as the capital of the
eastern part of the Roman Empire, which came to be known as the Byzantine Empire, by
emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine was also the first Roman emperor to publicly
convert to Christianity, and celebrated by commissioning a huge church in his new capital,
Constantinople. Known as the “Great Church,” it was burnt down in 404. Unfortunately the
replacement church, which was completed in 415, was again burnt down in the Nika Riots of
532. This was a revolt against the Emperor Justinian I, caused by political and social issues such
as high taxes, but inflamed by a group of chariot race supporters being charged for murder. The
riots destroyed much of the city, and seriously threatened Justinian’s rule.
BYZANTINE HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom” is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral,
later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey.
Built in AD 537 at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its
massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is
considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture[1] and is said to have "changed the history of
architecture".
The Hagia Sophia construction consists of mostly masonry. The structure is composed of brick
and mortar joints that are 1.5 times the width of the bricks. The mortar joints are composed of
a combination of sand and minute ceramic pieces displaced very evenly throughout the mortar
joints. This combination of sand and ceramic pieces could be considered to be the equivalent of
modern concrete at the time.
EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICA
The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity is a basilica located in Bethlehem in the
Palestinian West Bank. The grotto it contains holds a prominent religious significance
to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site
continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major
church in the Holy Land.
The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his
mother Helena's visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325-326, on the site that was traditionally
considered to be the birthplace of Jesus. That original basilica was likely built between 330-333,
being already mentioned in 333, and was dedicated on 31 May 339. It was destroyed by fire
during the Samaritan revolts of the sixth century, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built a
number of years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565), who added
a porch or narthex, and replaced the octagonal sanctuary with a cruciform transept complete
with three apses, but largely preserved the original character of the building, with an atrium
and a basilica consisting of a nave with four side aisles
EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICA
The Church of Prophet Elijah is a 14th-century church in Thessaloniki, Greece, and
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The church is located in the upper quarter of the old city, and dates to the Palaiologan period,
but its original dedication is unknown. In Ottoman times, it was known as the Saraylı
Mosque (Palace Mosque or Court Mosque), and through a misinterpretation of this name came
about its modern dedication to the Prophet Elijah. It has been traditionally identified as
the katholikon of the Nea Moni monastery, built ca. 1360–1370 on the site of a former palace
destroyed in 1342 by the Zealot uprising. Modern research, however, has cast doubt on this,
since the Nea Moni continued to operate well into the Ottoman period, while the church of
Prophet Elijah was converted into a mosque by Badrah Mustafa Pasha immediately after the
city's capture in 1430. On the basis of its internal decoration, it has been suggested that the
church was the katholikon of the important Akapniou Monastery.
