Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
Hagia Sophia is one of the most important buildings in the history of Architecture and it is located in Istanbul which was Constantinople in the past. The church was built near to the emperor’s palace This is not the original church, the original church burned down during a riot against the emperor Justinian who was the patron of this church. This church was a way to keep occupied the people and to stop riots and a way for the emperor to express his power across the empire. Emperor Justinian built multiple churches, but this building was the most important of them. Its scale, its ambition and its design made it unique. Justinian hired two theoreticians whom knew about geometry, mathematic theory and physics to evaluate this space. He asked his architects to do something different instead, he wanted them to unify a centrally planned space with a basilica space.
A Symbol Of Byzantium
Hagia Sophia is the undisputed symbol of the city of Istanbul in Turkey and one masterpiece of Byzantine art. The interior of Santa Sofia is impressive, with wonderful lighting, mosaics of great historical interest, and beautiful and huge decorative medallions. There were many travelers that praised the grandeur and details of the church and many stories about the miracles associated with the church. Hagia Sophia is the symbol of Byzantium.
The details of this church made it a mystical building. The difficulties with engineering were well known and still today it is almost impossible that this building is standing by itself, some people think it has an explanation of another world. The dematerialization is visible in such a small detail as the capital of a column or in its dome.
Let Us Start With A Look At A Column Capital
The column capital provides a transition from what is supporting to the round column which is very important. It has decoration and details that make it seem light, the whole capital looks more like a fragile decoration than a strong stone capable of supporting massive weight to the column. Compare the Hagia Sophia capital with a Classical Greek Ionic capital. The capital has many details and decoration but still performs the work; it shows how a working member can work in a hasty manner.
A Golden Dome Suspended By Heaven
The Structural Success of Hagia Sophia is often linked to a divine intervention. Procopius, which was the biographer of the Emperor Justinian was the first to describe that the dome float over the building by divine intervention. "…the huge spherical dome [makes] the structure exceptionally beautiful. Yet it seems not to rest upon solid masonry, but to cover the space with its golden dome suspended from Heaven." (from "The Buildings" by Procopius, Loeb Classical Library, 1940, online at the University of Chicago Penelope project). If we look at the base of the dome, it helps to illustrate the descriptions.
Advice From An Angel?
There is an old story about Hagia Sophia that has come in different versions and it tries to explain the miracle of the church. A young boy was part of the craftsmen doing the construction. When the craftsmen noticed there was a problem with the construction, they left the church to seek help but the young boy was left to take care of the tools while they were away. A figure appeared inside the building and told the young boy how to fix the problem. He told the boy to go to the craftsmen and tell the solution while he guards the tools; he promised he would not leave until the boy came back. The boy left. When the boy told them the solution, it was so ingenious that they realized that the figure was divine presence. The boy was kicked out of the capital and never allowed to return. So, the divine presence had to keep his promise to the boy, and he is still there guarding the tools.
Damages And Repairs
Hagia Sophia sits over an earthquake fault. The building has been harshly damaged by three quakes. It has been repaired when it has been required. People still believe the survival of the church is just another sign of the divine guardian of the church.