ST. SOPHIA MUSEUM
St. Sophia Museum (Hagia Sophia), which is among
the most significant monuments of world's architectural
history, is considered as the only application in
terms of its architectural property, its magnificence,
greatness and functionality. St. Sophia has been
an inspiration for Ottoman mosques thought in idea,
and is reviewed as a product of east-west synthesis.
St. Sophia served for 916 years as church and 481
years as mosque since its year of construction.
Recently, St. Sophia was turned into a museum in
1935.
Byzantine historians Theophanes, Nikephoros and
Gramercy Leon claim that St. Sophia was originally
built during the period of Emperor I. Konstantinos
(324-337). At that time, St. Sophia which had a
Basilica planned, wooden domed structure, was burned
in a fire and Emperor II. Thedosius re-commissioned
St. Sophia for the second time and it was reopened
for service in 415. However, St. Sophia burned one
more time in 532 during the Nika revolution and
rebuilt for the third time by Emperor Justinianus
(527-565). When Isidoros of Miletus and Anthemious
of Tralles, the most famous architects of the period
were building the St. Sophia which survived until
today, they used the columns, column heads, marbles
and color stones of the antic city remains of Anatolia.
The construction of St. Sophia began in 23 December
532 and it was completed in 27 December 537. From
the architectural point of view, it is comprised
of a large central section, two side sections (nef),
abyss, interior and exterior narthexes. The interior
has a size of 100x70, it's covered by a dome with
a diameter of 30-31 m. and a height of 55 m. carried
by four big columns. As well as its architecture,
the mosaics of St. Sophia are also of worth noting.
The most ancient mosaics are the golden glided geometrical
and flower-motif mosaic on interior narthex and
sides. The figured mosaics were made in IX-XII century,
and they can be seen on Emperor Gate, on the abscissas,
on the exit gate and upper floor gallery.
St. Sophia had undergone various repairs during
Turkish period starting with the conquest of Istanbul.
While the framing of mihrab is adorned with the
most beautiful examples of Turkish china art and
Turkish calligraphic art, the sura from Koran on
the dome inscribed by the famous Turkish Calligrapher
Mustafa İzzet Efendi and the round sheets with a
diameter of 7.50 m are the most remarkable ones.
In these frames, the names of Allah, Mohammed, Ömer,
Osman, Ali, Hasan, Ebu Bekir and Hussein are written.
And on he side walls of the mihrab can be seen the
frames written by Ottoman sultans and donated to
the museum.
The tombs of Sultan Selim the 2nd, Sultan Mehmed
the 3rd, Sultan Murad the 3rd and heirs, the fountain
of Sultan Mahmut the 1st, primary school, public
kitchen and library, sultan maksoorah of Sultan
Abdülmecid, clock room are among the Turkish period
works at St. Sophia, and the tombs make up the most
precious examples of Ottoman tomb tradition with
regard to their interior design, caustic art and
architecture
