Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia – is not only a symbol of the city of Istanbul, but also a significant monument of Byzantine architecture. It is located in the middle of the historic city center in Sultanyakhmet and has been protected by UNESCO since 1985.
This historical architectural monument has a rather large and fascinating history. He was erected back in 324-337, when Konstantin I ruled. But the first version of the structure was burned, as a result of a popular uprising. The second building in the same place is the basilica, which was erected in 415 by order of the ruler Theodosius II. It was not judged for a long time to resist her, since in 532 the same fate awaited her as the first.
In the same year, the emperor ordered the construction of a church under the supervision of the main architects of those times. At least 10 thousand builders worked every day to build this noble building. In the course of the work, high-quality materials were involved, and the church was decorated with precious metals and various architectural elements.
The name « The Great » immediately entrenched behind the church, since a long time before the opening of its doors, the beauty and grandeur of this building, the rumor went very far.
In 537, the church officially opened and consecrated. For a long period of time, the Church of Hagia Sophia was the largest and most magnificent in the whole world. The height of the building was 55 meters, 31 meters – the diameter of the dome.
For all the time, the Hagia Sophia repeatedly experienced events that negatively affected him. In 989, due to a severe earthquake, the dome fell from the church. She also witnessed more than one war, which also had a negative impact on her. But, despite this, the cathedral remains still magnificent. It was in its walls that an event occurred, which is associated with the separation of Christian churches.
Having come a difficult way, the cathedral since 1935 acquired the new status of the Ayia-Sofia Museum, which is now very often visited, but tourists are already.
Hagia Sophia has some intriguing places, among which is a crying column with copper. They say that if you touch it with a sore spot, then the pain will surely disappear, in addition, the column fulfills its other desire. Also, the mystery of the cathedral is a cold window, from which in any weather it pulls cool, and a slight noise is heard.
