1. Did you know that Hagia Sophia was a Christian church?
Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul and was built from 408 to 415. Since its construction, it has served as an ancient Christian church and as such is one of the oldest and most significant works of ancient architecture in the world.
2. Her real name is Hagia Sophia
Translated from the Greek, Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom, and it served as an Orthodox church for almost 1,000 years, and was also its seat at the time.
3. It was built on the site of an old church
It was designed by the great Byzantine architects Antemije of Tralo and Isidore of Miletus on the site of a previous church that burned down during the reign of Emperor Justinian, and was built by Theodosius II. in the period from 532 to 537.
4. Byzantine emperors were crowned in it
It used to be an imperial building built for the Emperor and his home. In it resided the emperor with his better half, while the other part served the clergy. As an imperial chamber, it was the place where Byzantine emperors were crowned until 1453.
5. It was looted and turned into a mosque
It was converted into a mosque in 1453 when Ottoman soldiers led by Sultan Mehmed II. took over the city. The mosaics they found at the time were covered with plaster and four new minarets were added.
6. The legend of the monks
During the conquest of Istanbul and Hagia Sophia, the soldiers killed the citizens who took refuge in it. But death, according to legend and belief, was avoided by two monks who climbed up to the church gallery and entered the building walls.
7. It was also a museum
It became a museum in 1931 by order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The mosaics were then rediscovered, and Ataturk forbade the holding of all religious, ie Christian and Muslim celebrations and customs. He also wanted Hagia Sophia not to belong to any religion, but to the whole world. Unfortunately, since 2020, it was again converted to mosque.
8. There is also Little Hagia Sophia
Little Hagia Sophia was built between 527 and 536, and it got its name because of its great resemblance to that right. It is assumed that both were built by the same master and that on the small Hagia Sophia, he actually honed his skills to build an imposing large one.
TIPS+
When you are at the Hagia Sophia be sure to go to the southeast back and visit the free museum which houses the five tombs of the sultan. Before entering the complex, you must go through security control, and if you want to see it from the inside, you must follow the rules and take off your shoes at the entrance.
Take an hour and a half to visit Hagia Sophia, and half an hour is enough to visit the tomb museum. At the entrance you will be greeted by cheerful tourist guides who will offer you to take you through the complex, but we advise you to take a tourist guide to Istanbul with you and find out everything that interests you.
Now that you’ve learned something interesting, it’s time to find out that the visit to the site is free, due to the fact it is a religious site. At the entrance, you will have to take off your shoes, and woman will have to cover her head with a veo. In case you don’t have one, you can buy one at a machine near the mosque entrance.
Hagia Sophia is an inevitable attraction that you must visit if you are traveling to Istanbul. It only takes a 15-minute walk to Little Hagia Sophia and admission is free, but avoid it during regular prayer as it serves as a mosque. Visit these attractions and take memorable photos, and do it as soon as possible because the crowds and queues at the entrance can be really unbearable.
