Aya Sofia

During a visit to Istanbul tourist should visit Aya Sofia building, and beginning architect - even more so. Building this church for over 1400 years, it has been repeatedly rebuilt after earthquakes, fire, and the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks.

Interestingly, the most ancient of comparable scale structures were built about 1000 years after the Aya Sofia.

Aya Sofia over 916 years has been the cathedral of Constantinople, the main church of the Byzantine Empire and the entire Orthodox world. After the Turkish conquest of its 481 year turned into a mosque and finally, in 1934, made ​​the museum.

The main building of the ensemble has nine entrance gates. Dome of the Basilica of height 55.6 m and a diameter of 32 meters is planted firmly on four pillars height 24.3 m white marble that covers the nave of the cathedral, was imported from the Princes' Islands, pink marble with veins - from Afyonkarahisar Afeni, green porphyry - of adzes and Mora, porphyry - from Egypt, and yellow marble - from Algeria. 

Ceilings are covered with mosaics, and the walls are decorated with colorful stones in places and amazing ceramics. Dome consists of forty radial arches, in the lower parts mezharochnyh gaps cut arched windows, so at the bottom of the dome gives the impression of continuous light zone.

This structure affects its grandeur, interior light. Working with ancient space architects impressive. In addition, this building represents the cultural heritage of Byzantium and its architecture influenced the architecture of the church next 1000 years.

by Andrey Egorov