Istanbul Hagia Sophia history. Hagia sophia in constantinople - post report

Hagia Sophia is the shrine of two world religions and one of the most magnificent buildings on our planet. For fifteen centuries, Hagia Sophia was the main sanctuary of two great empires - Byzantine and Ottoman, having gone through difficult turns of their history. Having received the status of a museum in 1935, it became a symbol of a new Turkey that embarked on a secular path of development.

The history of the creation of Hagia Sophia

In the IV century A.D. e. the great emperor Constantine built a Christian basilica on the site of the market square. Several years later, this building was destroyed by fire. At the site of the conflagration, a second basilica was erected, which suffered the same fate. In 532, the emperor Justinian began the construction of a great temple, equal to which mankind did not know, in order to glorify forever the name of the Lord.

The best architects of that time supervised ten thousand workers. Marble, gold, ivory for the decoration of the Hagia Sophia were brought from all over the empire. The construction was completed in an unprecedentedly short time, and five years later, in 537, the building was consecrated by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Subsequently, Hagia Sophia suffered several earthquakes - the first happened shortly after the completion of construction and caused serious damage. In 989, an earthquake led to the collapse of the dome of the cathedral, which was soon restored.

Mosque of two religions

For over 900 years, Hagia Sophia was the main Christian church of the Byzantine Empire. It was here in 1054 that events took place that split the church into Orthodox and Catholic.

From 1209 to 1261, the main shrine of Orthodox Christians was in the power of Catholic crusaders, who plundered it and took to Italy many of the relics kept here.

On May 28, 1453, the last Christian service in the history of the Hagia Sophia took place here, and the next day Constantinople fell under the blows of the troops of Sultan Mehmed II, and the temple was turned into a mosque by his order.

And only in the XX century, when the decision of Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a museum, the balance was restored.

Hagia Sophia is a unique religious structure, in which frescoes depicting Christian saints side by side with suras from the Koran inscribed on large black circles, and minarets surround the building, built in the style typical of Byzantine churches.

Architecture and interior decoration

Not a single photo can convey the grandeur and austere beauty of Hagia Sophia. But the current building differs from the original construction: the dome was rebuilt more than once, and in the Muslim period several buildings and four minarets were added to the main building.

The original appearance of the temple fully corresponded to the canons of the Byzantine style. Inside the temple is striking in size more than outside. The massive dome system consists of a large dome reaching over 55 meters in height and several hemispherical ceilings. The side aisles are separated from the central aisle by malachite and porphyry columns, taken from the pagan temples of ancient cities.

Several frescoes and amazing mosaics have survived from Byzantine decoration to the present day. During the years when the mosque was located here, the walls were covered with plaster, and its thick layer has preserved these masterpieces to this day. Looking at them, one can imagine how splendid the decoration was in the best times. Changes in the Ottoman period, apart from the minarets, include the mihrab, the marble minbar and the richly decorated Sultan's box.

• Contrary to popular belief, the temple is not named after Saint Sophia, but is dedicated to the Wisdom of God (“Sophia” means “wisdom” in Greek).
• Several mausoleums of the sultans and their wives are located on the territory of Hagia Sophia. Among those who are buried in the tombs, there are many children who became victims of the fierce struggle for succession to the throne, which was usual for those times.
• It is believed that the Shroud of Turin was kept in the Sophia Cathedral until the plundering of the temple in the 13th century.

Useful information: how to get to the museum

Hagia Sophia is located in the oldest district of Istanbul, where there are many historical sites - Blue Mosque, Cistern, Topkapi. This is the most significant building in the city, and not only the indigenous Istanbulites, but also any tourist will tell you how to get to the museum. You can get there by public transport on the T1 tram line (Sultanahmet stop).

The museum is open from 9:00 to 19:00, and from October 25 to April 14 - until 17:00. Monday is a day off. There is always a long queue at the ticket office, so you need to come in advance, especially in the evening hours: ticket sales stop an hour before closing. You can buy an e-ticket on the official website of Hagia Sophia. The entrance costs 40 liras.

FEDERAL EDUCATION AGENCY

GOU VPO "Ishim State Pedagogical

institute named after P.P. Ershova "

abstract

Temple of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

Completed: 3rd year student,

group of teaching

faculty (specialty

"Pedagogy and psychology")

Shaikova Yulia Mikhailovna

Checked by: T.M. Chechulina

1 the sad history of the temple of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

2. Architectural plan and building dimensions

3 the magnificent decoration of the temple

4 ransacking the great temple

1. The sad story of the temple of St. Sophia in Constantinople

This temple is one of the wonders of the world.

It is an unsurpassed piece of architectural art and building technology. It is already one and a half thousand years old. With its extraordinary, unprecedented boldness of its designs, grandiose size and splendor of decoration, the temple eclipsed everything that was created in the field of construction before it.

The Byzantine chronicles tell that at the place where it was decided to erect the temple of St. Sophia, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), a small basilica church was first built. In 532, on January 5, the basilica was destroyed during a popular uprising Nika ... Emperor Justinian decided to create such a temple for the glory of God, which, with its size and splendor, would overshadow everything that had been created earlier. According to legend, an Angel appeared to the Emperor Justinian in a dream and showed him the image of a new temple. Justinian commissioned the construction to two architects: Anthimius of Thrall and Isidore of Miletus. Thralls and Miletus are ancient Greek cities in Asia Minor, prosperous, rich commercial and cultural centers of the time.

Construction began immediately. Already on February 23, 532, work began. It took Anfimia less than two months to create a project and prepare for construction. The construction itself lasted 5 years, 10 months and 10 days - according to the Byzantine chronicles.

In general, Orthodox churches have always been built in an amazing, miraculous way, and in this respect St. Sophia is no exception: the average construction time for almost all masterpieces of Russian Orthodox architecture is 5 years.

The construction of the temple of St. Sophia was described by many Byzantine historians and chroniclers.

Justinian watched the work progress on a daily basis. When a dispute arose between the architects and them about how many windows should be in the vault above the altar, the Angel of God appeared again and gave advice to make three windows in honor of the Trinity. There is still a lot of information about the help of the heavenly forces. Special worship services inspired the workers. The construction site employed 20,000 workers.

2. Architectural plan and dimensions of the building

The definition of "Domed Basilica", first used with reference to Hagia Sophia; on the "pandantifs" of the structure, images of cherubs were also used for the first time in the (14th century), who glorified him in the history of architecture. The dome, 55.6 m high, is considered one of the most perfect not only in Istanbul and Turkey, but also in the top five tallest domes in the world. After the earthquakes of 553, between 558-562, the dome of the building was rebuilt and enlarged by 6.5 m. Incomplete roundness of the dome is more like an ellipse; dimensions along the first axis 31 m, on the second 33 m. The structure, size 7 570 sq. m, and length. 100 m, has the main part measuring 75 m by 70 m.At the very entrance - Narteks, 60 m long, 11 m wide.This part of the building, devoid of any decorations and decoration, was set aside for preparations for the prayer ritual. The mosaic tiles that adorn the building were brought from various places. There are also relief images of the 12th century. The increased degree of humidity had a negative effect on the ceiling of the building, on which there are 9 cruciform arches. Three of the nine entrances located in the building were open to the public. The middle, largest entrance belonged to the emperor, and the side ones belonged to the imperial retinue of the highest rank and his entourage. The coverings of the imperial gold, and the silver coverings of the other two doors, disappeared during the Latin invasion. Above the imperial door is a 9th century mosaic depicting Jesus Christ in the center, St. Mary and the Archangel Gabriel to the right and left of him, and the kneeling emperor Leo VI (886-912) is depicted on the mosaic plate; Jesus blesses people with one hand, with the other he holds a book with the inscription: "I am the world's light." Above the door, under a mosaic panel, there is a metal shrine, and under it there is a throne awaiting Jesus.

Following from the inner narthex to the main part, the first thing that attracts attention is the pomp of the dome, which seems to be built into the top of the church and is completely isolated from the structure. In the center of the dome, surrounded by 40 windows, is an image of Jesus (Byzantine period). After the capture of the city by the Turks, a cover was applied and inscribed with a surah from the Koran. On the triangular pandatives supporting the large dome and between the arcades on the four sides, there are images of winged cherubs. The faces of the cherubim (length 11 m) in the form of a lion, an eagle and angels are covered with a polygonal star. On the left, at the entrance on the side wall, under the window there is an image: Patriarch of Constantinople (IX century), Ignatius; Patriarch John Grisostomos (IV century) and Patriarch of Antioch (today's Antakya) (II century).

To the right and left of the main entrance are gigantic marble balls brought here in the 16th century from Pergamon. On the left, at the side suite, there is a "weeping column" or "sweating column" - a quadrangular marble column. There is the following belief: "Weeping Colonna" has a miraculous hole through which you need to draw your finger and outline a circle to make a wish that will certainly come true. The capitals of the columns around the main space are engraved with monograms of the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. The column called "Basket Capital" is made by hand. Giant posters in Arabic hang from the side walls and corners. On the right side of the mihrab is Allah, on the left is Muhammad, on the sides are the names of the four caliphs Ebu Bekr, Omar, Osman and Ali; and on both sides of the front door are the names of the prophet Hasan and Hussein's grandsons. These posters (7.5 m) are considered to be the most prominent inscriptions in the Islamic world. The square under the dome, laid out of colored marble, served as the place of the ritual of the coronation of the Byzantine emperors.

The imperial throne is located in the center of the large circle, and the imperial retinue took their places in the smaller circles. The interior of the abscissa, decorated with colored marble slabs during the Ottoman period, contains a mihrab pointing towards the Ka'ba and many posters in Arabic script. The non-coincidence of the center point of the mihrab with the central part of the church building was a consequence of the religious custom of Muslims performing the namaz ritual, turning their body towards Saint Mecca, i.e., to the southeast of Istanbul. To the left of the abscissa is the mahfil khyunkara (a place reserved for the ruler) dating from the 19th century, and to the right is the mimbar, the pulpit from which the imam reads sermons on Friday prayers. And opposite the mimbar there is a monument of the 16th century, Makhfil Muezzin, the servant of the mosque, who calls from the minaret to prayer. To the right of the abscissa, at the intersection of the main enfiliad on the right, an image of a handprint dedicated to the Mother of God adorns the wall near the porphyry granite columns. This piece of granite, brought here, previously adorned a monument of the Byzantine period, which is located in Istanbul - Theotokos Church.

On the right, at the right suite, is the Hagia Sophia library, brought here during the reign of Sultan Mahmud 1, in the 18th century. Books, lined up on shelves decorated with Iznik ceramics of the rarest work, are exhibited today in another museum. The Koran stands on display in the same part of the building are very original and arouse great interest among visitors. Above the side door, which during the Byzantine period served as the imperial exit door (today's main entrance), there is a perfectly preserved mosaic. It depicts the Virgin and Child Jesus. To her right is the Emperor Constantine, to the left is the Emperor Justinian. In the hands of the Emperor Constantine a model of the city, and in the hands of the Emperor Justinian - a model of the church. Both structures are dedicated to the ancestors who took their place in the center of the mosaic. Both emperors (the years of their life in the 4th and 6th centuries) on the mosaic of the 10th century. turned out to be close, bypassing the centuries.

A sloping road leading to the upper tier, used for worship for women and church synods, runs through the left side of the suite. The road, which has a special slope, served so that the empress could be carried on a palanquin, and in order to avoid unnecessary shocks while moving around the gallery where the divine service was performed. No significant traces have survived from the northern gallery on the left side of the upper tier. In the middle gallery, located opposite the mihrab, cross-shaped crucifixes made of wood are visible between the arcades. Such crucifixes are found only in the Katerina monastery on the peninsula. The right gallery (from the side of the main entrance), located in the southern part, is a rare example of architectural art.

According to legend, there is an inscription on the marble tablets on the left, which tells about the visit of these places by Vikings. The carved door at the entrance to the right gallery has the name "Heavenly Gate". The "Paradise Gate" has cross-shaped images on the outside. To the left of the entrance gate is one of the rarest in beauty mosaic tiles: Jesus, St. Mary and John the Baptist. The lower part of the mosaic, which was severely damaged during the Latin invasion, still has not lost its artistic value, because it consists of small colored slabs that give it great importance. In this famous mosaic dating back to the 14th century and called "Deesis", which means "supplication", Mary and John, with sad, full of sadness faces, pray to Jesus to send sinners to heaven.

At the end of the gallery there are two more mosaics depicting two emperors with their family, St. Mary and Jesus. One of the mosaics depicts the Virgin and Child Jesus, Emperor Ioannes Komnenos, his Hungarian wife Irene, and their son Alexios on the side wall. In the left mosaic depiction of Jesus, Empress Zoe and her third husband, Emperor Constantine Monomachos, are surrounded. This mosaic depicts the Empress for the first time with her first husband, Romanos III. The mosaic image (XI century) conveys all the changes that happened to the Empress at each of her marriage. At the very end of the gallery, if you look at the dome of the abscissa, you can see mosaic images of the 9th century - the Mother of God and the Child Jesus with the Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

Traces of Turkish rule in the interior of Sofia are, first of all, four huge round shields made of camel skin, suspended under the dome. The inscriptions on them - sayings from the Koran, the names of the first caliphs - are considered to be the largest examples of Arabic calligraphy. Ataturk, turning Sofia from a mosque into a museum, ordered them to be removed. Immediately after his death in 1938, the inscriptions were hoisted into place. In the altar apse a prayer niche was built - a mihrab; there are other little things dear to the heart of a Muslim, like huge pot-bellied jugs for ablutions near the entrance. The bronze cage-like structure in the south gallery is a library built in the 18th century. But all these additions remained completely alien to the great temple - as well as four minarets and a month above the dome.

The magnificent decoration of the temple

The Byzantine Empire reached its peak during the reign of Justinian. The emperor set out to recreate the Roman Empire in its former grandeur and borders. The Church of St. Sophia was supposed to embody the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a new huge power and a triumphant Christianity in the world. The temple has become one of the main shrines of Christianity.

Colossal funds were spent on the construction of the temple: all the trophies of the victorious wars of Justinian are huge treasures; exorbitant taxes on the population of Byzantium, voluntary donations from cities and pious Christians, salary a huge army of officials in three years, revenues from sea trade. The walls and vaults of the temple were built of bricks. Expensive building materials were widely used - granite, porphyry, marble, jasper, etc. The marble was exquisite, rare colors and patterns: light green, snow-white, white-red, pink with veins ... Walls faced with marble seem to be hung with expensive carpets.

The main thing that struck in the interior of the temple was its dome. Its diameter is 32.9 m, the height from the floor to the center of the dome is 55.6 m. The shape of the entire structure is subordinated to a huge dome. It's not just about its size. Until the time of Anthimy's creation of this building, hemispherical domes were erected only over circular structures called rotundas, while here, in the Church of St. Sophia, for the first time in the history of construction, a dome was erected on a structure in the shape of a square. This was achieved in the following way: four massive pillars, set in a square, were covered on all sides by arches. The gaps between adjacent arches were filled with vaults in the form of inflated triangular sails.

The upper ribs of these sails created, joining, in plan, the shape of a circle, on which the base of the hemispherical dome lay. This technique was subsequently applied in all Orthodox churches. To lighten their own weight, the vaults and the dome were erected from porous lightweight tiles made on the island of Rhodes.

Forty large arched windows are made at the base of the dome, through them the southern sun pours a bright light, and the huge dome, ascended to a dizzying height, seems completely weightless, soaring in the air!

The impression of extraordinary lightness and spaciousness of the interior was also created by the use of mosaics. The inner surfaces of the dome, vaults and arches were covered with mosaic ornaments, icons and paintings on the themes of the Holy Scriptures on a gold and blue background.

The building has excellent acoustics: if you stand under the dome and speak without straining your voice, you can hear well in any corner of the temple.

Justinian persistently strove to ensure that the temple had no equal in the interior decoration. In his pious zeal, he went so far that he wanted to pave the entire floor of the temple with gold tiles! His courtiers barely dissuaded him, and the floor was laid out with rare beauty multi-colored marble, porphyry and jasper.

Justinian achieved his goal. The created temple surpassed in its splendor the famous temple in Jerusalem, built by King Solomon. When the emperor entered the temple on the day of its consecration December 27, 537, he exclaimed: Glory to the Almighty, Who chose me to accomplish this great deed! I have surpassed you, Solomon! On that solemn day, money and bread were distributed to the people on the streets of Constantinople. The festivities on the occasion of the consecration of the Church of St. Sophia lasted 15 days.

The stories of all eyewitnesses about the inner splendor of the temple exceed the wildest imaginations: Gold for the construction of the throne in the altar was considered insufficiently precious, and for this they used a special alloy of gold, silver, crushed pearls and precious stones. The throne was inlaid with precious stones. Above the throne towered in the form of a tower canopy, the roof of which was made of massive gold rested on gold and silver columns, decorated with inlaid with pearls and diamonds and gold lilies, between which were balls with crosses of massive gold weighing 30 kg, equally showered with precious stones; from under the dome of the canopy descended a dove, depicting the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Gifts were kept inside the dove. According to Greek custom, the throne was separated from the people by an iconostasis, decorated with relief images of saints; the iconostasis was supported by 12 golden columns. Three gates led to the altar, covered with precious curtains. There was a special pulpit in the middle of the church. It had a semicircular shape and was surrounded by a balustrade, above it there was also a canopy made of precious metals, resting on 8 columns and topped with a 40 kg gold cross studded with precious stones and pearls.

Marble steps led to this pulpit, their railings, as well as the canopy, sparkled with gold.

The clergy came here, and here the imperial throne towered. All sacred liturgical objects - bowls, vessels, arks - were of the purest gold and dazzled with the sparkling of precious stones; the books of the Old and New Testaments, with their gold bindings and clasps, weighed a lot. All the sacred utensils and objects of the court ceremonial, during the coronation and various Byzantine ceremonies, famous for their complexity and splendor, were of gold.

Six thousand candelabra in the form of huge clusters, as many portable candlesticks, each weighing 45 kg. The dome mosaics sparkled with the glow of the candelabra, silver lamps hung from bronze chains, countless lights were reflected in mosaics and precious stones.

The gates were of ivory, amber and cedar wood with gilded silver frames. In the narthex there was a jasper pool with sculptures of lions spewing water. They could enter the House of God only by washing their feet.

Some marble slabs have bizarre designs that resemble a devil's head and a cloud after the explosion of an atomic bomb.

There is a small niche on the right side of the building. If you put your ear to the wall here, you hear a slight noise. Christians say that on the day the Turkish troops attacked Constantinople, 10,000 believers hid in the church. When the Turks broke into the church, the priest, reading a prayer, hid in the wall. Noise is still a prayer he reads ...

In the corner to the left of the main entrance is wet column. Since ancient times, many miraculous healings from diseases and infertility have been attributed to her. Millions of people touched it, over the centuries it began to wear out, it was necessary to cover it with a copper sheet.

Looting the great temple

temple of sophia constantinople

It is known that in 1453 the Turks took Constantinople by storm, perpetrated a terrible massacre, plundered the entire city, numerous churches and, first of all, the main temple of Byzantium - St. Sophia. But what is less known is that 250 years before the Turks, the city of Constantinople was captured, barbarously destroyed, plundered clean ... Christians! These were Catholics from Western Europe - crusaders, participants of the 4th crusade! In 1204 with the blessing of Pope Innocent III pious crusader army instead of fighting unfaithful for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulcher, they turned to Constantinople, the capital of the Christian state. Knights-crusaders in all crusades were distinguished by greed and cruelty. The knights were primarily interested in prey. Western Europe knew about the fabulously wealthy Byzantine Empire. And now the city-fortress, unshakable for centuries before the onslaught of many powerful enemies, was first captured by the enemy. Fires, robberies acquired monstrous proportions. As a rule, the crusaders destroyed works of art (a huge number of them accumulated over many centuries), not representing their immeasurable artistic value. Hundreds of churches were destroyed. The Byzantine chronicler Nikita Acominatus described the destruction of the church of St. Sophia as follows: One cannot even hear indifferently about the plundering of the main temple. Holy analogies of extraordinary beauty, woven with jewels, which amazed everyone, were cut into pieces and divided among the soldiers, along with other magnificent things. When they needed to take out of the temple the sacred vessels, silver and gold, with which the pulpits, pulpits and gates were surrounded, they brought mules and horses with saddles into the porches of the temple ... The animals, frightened by the shiny floor, did not want to walk, but they beat them and desecrated with their blood the sacred floor of the temple ...

The spoils of the knights were so great that they surpassed all their expectations.

The robbers did not stop at the destruction of the tombs of the Byzantine emperors. The sarcophagi were broken open, and the jewelry found in them made of gold and silver and precious stones was stolen. They threw out the relics of Orthodox saints in search of treasures from the tombs. Orthodox monks had their bellies ripped open, thinking that they had swallowed precious stones.

On the ruins of the Byzantine Empire, several crusading states arose for a short time. A small Latin empire with its capital in Constantinople lived by selling stolen jewelry to Western Europe. There were almost no other sources of income in the burned and plundered country, the population died or fled.

By the end of the XIII century, the Byzantine Empire was restored, Constantinople again became the capital for almost two centuries. But Byzantium could no longer return the former greatness and power. The Church of St. Sophia was decorated and restored many times, but it was impossible to restore the former luxury.

When the Turkish sultan Mehmet II took Constantinople by storm in 1453, the horrors of war were repeated. The last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus Porphyrogenitus heroically died in the battle. In the middle of the 15th century, the Byzantine capital no longer represented such a fabulous prey as for the Christian crusaders two and a half centuries earlier. Some historians believe that during the robbery of Constantinople by the Turks, not even half of what the Latins received in 1204 fell into their hands.

Sultan Mehmet II rode on a white horse into the temple of St. Sophia. He commanded to commemorate the victory over unfaithful turn this Christian shrine into a mosque. On June 1, 1453, the first Muslim prayer was performed there on Friday. Four minarets were built around the temple. Inside, huge discs were fixed on the columns, on which a Turkish calligrapher made inscriptions in praise of the prophet and the first caliphs. The magnificent mosaics were partly knocked down, partly covered with lime. Thus, this devastated and disfigured shrine served the new religion until 1934, when, by the decision of the first President of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, it was turned into a museum. Since that time, restoration work has been carried out, during which works of Byzantine art have been freed from under the plaster.

It is clear that this temple will never be as magnificent as in the days of Justinian the Great. However, even now it is a unique monument of world culture, making an indelible impression on those who were lucky enough to enter it.

It remains to recall how the Kiev prince Vladimir, wishing to unite Russia, decided to replace the numerous pagan gods, different in each Slavic tribe, with a single state religion, sent out ambassadors to countries with different religions in order to choose the best one. The ambassadors, returning from Constantinople, told the prince that they were in a wonderful church, wonderfully decorated, at a wonderful divine service, so they did not know where they were: on earth or in heaven ... This, as you know, decided the fate of Russia, it became Orthodox ... And Orthodox churches in Russia and in other Slavic countries - Georgia, Armenia, Greece - are being built up to the present time according to a single canon, modeled on the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople.

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I think that almost all tourists begin their acquaintance with Istanbul from Sultanahmet Square and the sights located on it and near it. We did the same. When we first got to Sultanahmet, first of all, we noticed two towering buildings - the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia in Turkish version). We did not manage to get to the Blue Mosque right away, since during Ramadan it is mainly closed for ordinary tourists, so the first place we met in Istanbul is Hagia Sophia, especially since I still remember the story about it from school and faster I wanted to see everything with my own eyes.

The path to the entrance to the Hagia Sophia from Sultanahmet Square.

To our great surprise, during the entire period of our stay in Istanbul, there were almost no people near popular tourist places, and we freely went to all the museums. So it is here. At the entrance to the territory of the cathedral there was a small group of tourists, but it was almost invisible. By the way, reading the reviews of other tourists about excursions in Istanbul during the high season (April-June, September, New Year and Christmas), I was very surprised by the photos with huge queues at all the main attractions. Therefore, if you are traveling on your own, go to see the city in the low season - and hotels will be cheaper, and access to attractions is easier and quieter.

Hagia Sophia Istanbul: opening hours, tickets, audio guide

You can get to the Hagia Sophia by buying tickets for 30 lira (children under 12 years old are admitted free) or a museum card for 85 lira for three days or 115 lira for 5 days. They are sold in special machines. It is very easy to make a purchase - the interface is intuitive. What is a museum card and how to save money with it, I told in a post. However, we did not buy it right away, which we later regretted a little, but went to the museum with tickets.

Entering the territory of the Hagia Sophia, we were faced with the fact that we did not have much knowledge about it, all the brief descriptions and inscriptions are in Turkish and English, but just gawking without understanding what you see is stupid. Therefore, we bought an audio guide at the entrance (20 liras for each) and went to have fun.

By the way, it is arranged in an interesting way: you are given a laminated map of the cathedral with dots, to which you put the remote control and listen to information about this place. It turned out to be very convenient.

1 - entrance; 2 - the imperial gate; 3 - weeping column; 4 - altar - Mihrab; 5 - Minbar; 6 - the Sultan's bed; 7 - Omphalos ("navel of the world"); 8 - marble urns from Pergamum; a - baptistery of the Byzantine era, tomb of Sultan Mustafa I; b - minarets of Sultan Selim II

It is worth noting that Hagia Sophia is open every day (except Monday): in the summer season (April 15 - October 25) from 9.00 to 19.00, the ticket offices close at 18.00, in the winter season - from 9.00 to 17.00 and the box office closes at 16.00. However, on the first day of Ramadan, the museum is closed, as are most in Istanbul.

What is Hagia Sophia: history and brief description

If you didn't get a working audio guide or just don't want to spend money, then a brief historical background and a short description of all the sights that Hagia Sophia in Istanbul can show you will be useful.

In fact, the cathedral in its present form is not the first religious building built in Constantinople on this site. First, there was the Basilica of Constantine, which burned down during the popular uprising in 404, then the Basilica of Theodosius, again damaged by the Nika uprising in 532. You can see its ruins in front of the main entrance to today's cathedral. There are the remains of columns, a portico, a staircase leading to an entrance that is 2 meters below ground level. However, nothing but the descriptions of ancient historians and these few stones remained, although these two churches were also large enough and richly decorated.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (and then Constantinople), in its present form, was ordered to build on the site of the destroyed basilica by Emperor Justinian - one of the key rulers in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Like the state itself, its main temple was to be the greatest and most splendid ever built. Therefore, the territory for construction was cleared of old buildings, the most famous architects were involved, crazy amounts for that time were allocated from the treasury (three budgets of the empire), the labor of 10 thousand workers was used. The construction itself was also carried out at a rapid pace - in just 5 years.

It is interesting that the emperor for his cathedral ordered the architectural elements of famous ancient temples and structures to be brought to Constantinople as building material. Therefore, in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, columns of porphyry (crimson) from the Temple of the Sun in Rome, from green marble from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, from the ruins of the cities of Asia Minor and Syria were placed. White marble from Marmara Island, green onyx from Euboea, yellow and pink marble from North Africa.

In addition to colored stone decoration, gold, silver, ivory were used in the interior of the cathedral. Before the plundering of the Hagia Sophia, according to eyewitnesses, there was a golden cross in the altar of two human height, richly decorated with precious stones and pearls. Before him hung another half-meter cross, with three golden lamps.

In all respects, the temple was great - the largest, most expensively decorated, the most beautiful, with the largest number of ministers.

However, a few years later an earthquake brought down part of the cathedral wall, as the builders decided to save time and money on strengthening the walls. After that, the emperor ordered the erection of supporting pillars for the dome, which turned out to be even higher than it was before. In the history of the Hagia Sophia there were several more destructive earthquakes, as a result of which it was fortified with walls, buttresses, the dome was rebuilt and gradually lost its original appearance.

It was in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople at the time that the actual division of Christianity into the churches of the Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox rite) took place - the Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople anathematized each other.

Together with the decline of Byzantium, it lost its gloss and temple. In 1204, the crusaders took Constantinople and plundered the cathedral. It was in it until that time that the Shroud of Turin was kept - a piece of fabric in which Jesus Christ was wrapped after the crucifixion. They also took out all the precious decorations. Only in 1261, the Byzantines were able to recapture their capital, but they could not return to their former luxury.

In 1453 Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople and made the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul now. The famous architect completed the construction of four minarets, which, in addition to their religious function, strengthened the walls of the cathedral and prevented further destruction. A mihrab (an altar for Muslims), a minbar (a staircase leading to the place where the imam speaks), a sultan's box were completed, huge medallions were installed under the dome, on which the names of Allah and the prophets were written in gold. It is worth noting that the conquerors treated the cathedral-mosque with great care - it was constantly restored, the sultans gave expensive gifts, and several madrasahs were built on its territory.

One of the amazing attractions of the cathedral is its mosaics. Their preservation was helped by iconoclasm, if not strange when the chic mosaics were covered with plaster. Today, restorers have been able to restore only a part, but what has come down to the present is striking in the subtlety of execution, beauty, richness of colors. One of them depicts the Empress Zoe and the Emperor next to Jesus Christ. It is interesting that the image of the emperor had two faces, since the emperor's daughter, Zoya, was married three times and immortalized two of her husbands in a mosaic.

And this is the Empress Zoya and her husband

Ede one famous mosaic - an offering to Jesus Christ of the city of Constantinople from its founder Emperor Constantine and the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia from Emperor Justinian

On the second floor in the gallery opposite the altar was the place of the Empress. It is indicated by a green marble circle on the floor.

Immediately on the upper galleries, look carefully for the runic inscriptions under the glass, carved in the railings. They say that this is evidence that representatives of the ancient northern peoples were in Constantinople.

Below, to the left of the entrance, there is a copper "weeping" column. If you stick your finger into the hole in it, make a wish and feel the droplets of water, then it will definitely come true.

Near the gate to the Patriarchate on the second floor there is the grave of one of the Venetian doges who participated in the conquest of Constantinople.

Video about excursion to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

We did not take many photographs in the cathedral, but decided to shoot a short video, as it was rather dark in the premises and the camera still did not convey all the power and beauty of this monumental structure.

What can I say hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul - one of the greatest architectural structures in the world, is not it?

And we ourselves are resting in the courtyard of the cathedral after the impressions we have received.

Summarizing the impressions received, I will note: you are a Christian or a Muslim, or maybe a Buddhist, it does not matter, while in Istanbul, go and look at the Hagia Sophia. Imagine how one and a half thousand years ago it was possible to build this monumental structure, think about the greatness and futility of empires and their rulers, how one epoch replaces each other and what remains of the greats of this world.

Barbarian tribes approached the borders of the empire, threatening to seize Roman lands. Already in the IV century, Rome faced the threat of occupation, the thousand-year-old city could be destroyed and plundered.

Because of this state of affairs, the new emperors did not build residences in Rome, preferring more calm and strategically important regions.

Emperor Constantine was no exception, but unlike other emperors, he decided to build a new capital, thereby ushering in a new period.

The capital of the new empire was the Greek city of Byzantium, located on the coast of the Bosphorus. The architects planned to expand it by rebuilding the hippodrome, building palaces and churches. Impenetrable walls were built around Byzantium to protect the city from invasions. In 330, on the instructions of Constantine the Great, the city became the official capital of the Roman Empire.

The main temple of the Byzantine Empire

Built in the 6th century by the best architects, the Church of St. Sophia in Byzantium became a real magnet for Christians. Architecture has long been a reference and was used as an example in the construction of other Christian cathedrals in Europe.

Similar shrines were built in Russia. For this, the Russian princes invited Byzantine architects, because they simply did not have their own construction practice. All churches in ancient Russia were built of wood and were not particularly pompous. With the arrival of the architects of Constantinople, everything changed and the first stone church was erected in Kiev. Historians subsidize the beginning of construction in 989. According to the chronicles, the end of construction came in 996.

First destruction

Sophia of Constantinople has experienced more than one destruction. So, during the reign of Justinian the first, the Byzantine Empire reached its greatest power. Successful military campaigns increased the popularity of the emperor among the military and decreased among the people, because the war required a lot of funds, which were not in the treasury. Because of this, the emperor decides to increase the tax burden on his citizens.

The increase in taxes provoked a reaction of the people, in Constantinople the Nika uprising began. Justinian managed to suppress the uprising, but it destroyed most of the city, including St. Sophia Cathedral. And he decides to start restoring the temple, which would surpass the past in its beauty and splendor.

Construction of the new St. Sophia Cathedral

For this, he collects workers from all over the Byzantium. He puts craftsmen at the head of the workers - Anthimia Trallskovo and Isiolra of Miletus... It was planned to build the most unique building in all of Byzantium and the scale was colossal, a difficult task fell on the shoulders of the architects. The architectural splendor was unveiled after five years of hard work by the workers.

Advanced materials were used in the decoration of the temple. The construction of the Byzantine wonder of the world cost the treasury a decent amount, about three annual budgets of the entire empire. The high cost of the temple is due to its unique components. The walls in the temple were decorated with precious stones, the frescoes were covered with gold and silver.

Second destruction

A profit crusade in 1204 brought Catholic soldiers to St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. The wealth accumulated over half a century was plundered by the crusaders... They did not hesitate to steal precious stones from the walls. The centuries-old frescoes were destroyed as the crusaders ripped gold from the walls. Priceless icons were desecrated and destroyed. The Christian cathedral itself was converted into a Catholic one.

Despite the atrocities of the Crusaders, St. Sophia Cathedral was still a work of art and continued to work as a Christian temple until the conquest by Mehmet I.

Hagia Sophia Mosque

In 1453, the Cathedral of Sophia justified the investment, because of its stunning beauty, Sultan Mehmet I. decides not to destroy it, but gives instructions rebuild into a Muslim temple Aya Sofia... The cross from the domes was removed in the early days and replaced with a crescent.

All frescoes were covered with whitewash and Christian decorations were destroyed. To give the temple a Muslim look, four minarets were built around it. Later the temple was the main mosque in Istanbul. Additionally, it served as a tomb for the Ottoman emperors.

From mosque to museum

In 1935, the President of Turkey issued a decree making St. Sophia Cathedral a museum. Despite this, many Christian movements want to return it to its former glory and again turn it into their haven. After the decree was issued, professional restorers were invited to work on the restoration of the temple. They faced a difficult task - to restore the magnificent mosaics and frescoes.

Location of St. Sophia Cathedral

The cathedral is located in Turkey, in Istanbul. The greatest architectural structures are located next to it, for example:

• Blue Mosque.
• Basilica cistern.
• Topkany.

You can get to the temple using:

• Tram Eminenu-Zeytinburnu, Sultanahmet-Fatih.
• A bus running in the same direction as the tram.

From April 15 to October 1, the museum is open from 9 am to 7 pm, and from October 1 to April 15, from 9 am to 5 pm. On Monday you won't be able to visit the temple, and on holidays its mode of operation changes. Children of tourists under 12 years old are entitled to free admission. The price for one ticket almost reaches $ 8.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Hagia Sophia) is a cultural, architectural and historical monument that carries the history of ancient Byzantium, the medieval Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was originally an Orthodox church in Constantinople, then it was rebuilt into a mosque, and today it is the Hagia Sophia Museum. It is a monument of Byzantine architecture included in the UNESCO List.

History

The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was built in the center of this ancient city, not far from the emperor's palace. Today it is the Old City of Istanbul, where its main historical and cultural attractions are located.

For more than a millennium, St. Sophia Cathedral was considered the largest Christian church in the world, until the Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter, equally famous all over the world, was built in Rome.

The first church on the site of the future cathedral appeared here in the 4th century under the first Christian emperor Constantine, and a large cathedral was erected under the consul Constance, but it burned down as a result of arson at the very beginning of the 5th century.

A few years later, at the behest of the Emperor Theodosius, another large, marble basilica was built, which was soon also burned down during another uprising of the urban poor.

Construction

In the middle of the 6th century, Emperor Justinian gave instructions to build a large basilica, which would testify to the greatness of the Byzantine Empire. So, thanks to the best architects of those times, the Hagia Sophia was born.

The Temple of Sophia in Constantinople was built from the best and most expensive building materials at that time: unique multi-colored marble was brought from all over the world, gold, silver, ivory, etc. were used for decoration.

The splendor of the Hagia Sophia has given rise to legends and myths that the heavenly forces themselves participated in its construction. In fact, the construction site was so gigantic that it "ate" as many as 3 annual budgets of Byzantium.

Since the beginning of construction, the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople received the title "Great", due to its scale. Precious stones were used in the manufacture of the church throne. Expensive utensils were created for the services.

Byzantium

In the middle of the 5th century, a few years after the completion of construction, there was a strong earthquake, and St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople suffered significant destruction. The same thing happened at the end of the 10th century - the dome collapsed.

In the middle of the 11th century, the Byzantine patriarch in Constantinople's Hagia Sophia anathematized the papal governors, which served as a further split of the Church into western and eastern confessions, which still exists today.

Ottoman Empire

In the middle of the 15th century, the last Orthodox service was held in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, in which the last emperor of Byzantium and his retinue took part. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the service was more like a liturgy.

Soon, ancient Constantinople was taken by the troops of the Ottoman Empire. The Turks immediately broke down the doors and plundered the Church of Hagia Sophia, hacked the holy icons, stolen precious robes, sacred vessels, and killed the servants of the temple.

A few days later, at the direction of the Turkish Sultan, the Temple of Sophia in Constantinople was turned into a mosque. Later, 4 traditional minarets in Islam were added to it, and the cathedral became the Hagia Sophia mosque.

It has been significantly redesigned internally to fit Muslim traditions. But the Orthodox frescoes and mosaics remained unchanged in the Hagia Sophia mosque, because several centuries were covered with plaster.

In the middle of the 19th century, in Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, there was a danger of collapse of some buildings, so the Turkish sultan invited two Italian architects who first restored this temple in two years.

And in the 30s of the last century, the father of the Turkish nation Ataturk, by his decree, turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. Already at the beginning of the XXI century, a small room was equipped in the museum building for the administration of the Muslim cult by its workers.