© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, TURKEY

 A former Orthodox Patriarchal basilica between 360 to 1453, and later a mosque from 1453 t0 1931, the Hagia Sophia has been transformed to a museum since 1935.

Constructed under the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Hagia Sophia whose name originates from the Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, which means “Holy Wisdom” is often mistakenly referred to as Sancta Sophia (Saint Sophia). Designed by Greek physicist Isidore of Miletus and mathematician Anthemius of Tralles, Hagia Sophia is  famous for its massive dome and was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture; notwithstanding that it was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years before the completion of Seville Cathedral in 1520.  The church also contains a large collection of holy relics as it was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for close to a century.

However, with its conversion into Aya Sofya Mosque by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, the bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. This was in part due to the excessive damage Hagia Sophia sustained as a result of it being the focal point of the Sultan’s troops of unbridled pillage shortly after the city was sieged and defenses collapsed. Islamic features such as the mihrab, located in the apse where the altar used to stand, pointing towards Mecca were constructed in addition the the minbar and four minarets. Additions continued by subsequent Sultans over the centuries with the most famous restoration being ordered by Sultan Abdülmecid. Eliciting a total of 800 workers between 1847 and 1849, under the supervision of architect brothers Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati, the domes and vaults of the Aya Sofya was consolidated, it’s columns straightened and decorations of both the interior and exterior revised; mosaics in the upper gallery were cleaned, chandeliers were replaced by new pendant chandeliers and new gigantic circular-framed disks  with inscriptions of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and the two grandchildren of Mohammed - Hassan and Hussain - by calligrapher Kazasker İzzed Effendi were installed.

With its final transformation to a Museum in 1935, the carpets were removed, revealing marble floor decorations such as the Omphalion that had gone unseen for centuries. Likewise, for the mosaics that had been covered by white plaster. However, the Hagia Sophia is far from being save with its deteriorating structure, some of which is visible; water leaks over the fragile frescoes and mosaics due to its visibly cracked copper roof. What’s not visible to a visitor admiring its beauty is the rising ground water that has raised the level of humidity within the monument, creating an unstable environment for its stone and paint. Conservation work by the World Monuments Fund (with the help of American Express in securing grants) took place between 1997 and 2002 on its roof, followed by efforts by the Turkish Ministry of Culture who worked on the preservation of the dome’s interior till 2006. More funds and work is however still needed on other areas of Hagia Sophia.