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Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom" 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 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, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February
1935.
The Church was dedicated to the Logos, the second person of the Holy
Trinity, its dedication feast taking place on 25 December, the
anniversary of the Birth of the incarnation of the Logos in Christ.
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 "Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God".
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." 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. 34 more images after the break...
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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 subsequently ordered the building converted into a
mosque. 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 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.
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 Sehzade Mosque, the
Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kiliç Ali Pasa
Mosque. wiki
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