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The Basilica of St. Sophia, now called the
Ayasofya Museum; is unquestionably one
ot the finest buildings of all time. Built by Constantine the Great
and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, its immense dome
rises 55 meters above the ground and its diameter spans 31 meters.
You should linger here to absorb the building's majestic serenity
and to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics. (Open every day except
Monday.)
This huge, brick-colored building standing at the southern size of
the square was built in the 6th
century. It was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans after the
Conquest and is now a museum. In its heyday, the church was regarded
as a sublime architectural achievement. The building stands on the
site of two previous churches, one that had been destroyed by
earthquake and fire, The third and present structure was built at
the orders of Emperor Justinian I by Anthemius, a mathematician, and
Isidore, an architect, geometrician, and city planner. The two
collaborators obeyed the emperor's
orders splendidly producing a building that inspired awe and wonder.
At its dedication in 537, Justinian is said to have murmered in
amazement and pride "Soloman, I have surpassed
thee"-a reference to the great temple that Soloman had
built in Jerusalem. In the nearly millennium and a half since its
construction, only three churches have been built on scale of Haghia
Sophia: St Pauls in London, St Peter's in Rome, and the Duomo in
Milan. Even today, Ayasofya has the power to spellbind even the most
hardened skyscraper-blase city-dweller with its grand dimensions.
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