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Definition: Hagia Sophia from Philip's Encyclopedia

(Aya Sofia) Byzantine church in Istanbul. It was built (532-37) for the Emperor Justinian I. A supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture, it was the first building to use pendentives to support a central dome. A series of domes extends the lofty interior space. The interior contains columns of marble and porphyry. The church was converted into a mosque in 1453. The Hagia Sophia now acts as a museum.


Hagia Sophia

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(hä'jӘ sōfē'Ә, hā'jēӘ,) [Gr.,=Holy Wisdom] or Santa Sophia, Turkish Aya Sofia , originally a Christian church at Constantinople (now İstanbul), later a mosque, and now converted into a museum. Hagia Sophia is the supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its spacious nave is covered by a lofty central dome carried on pendentives , a device not previously employed in monumental construction. Pendentives make possible support of the dome on a square framework of four huge equal arches resting on huge piers. The arches at the east and west are extended and buttressed by great half domes, while the half domes in turn are carried on smaller semidomed exedrae. A vast oblong interior, 102 ft (31 m) by 265 ft (81 m), is thus created from a succession of domical elements that build up to the main dome, 102 ft (31 m) in diameter and 184 ft (56 m) high, in which a corona of 40 arched windows sheds a flood of light on the interior. At the east end of the nave is the vaulted sanctuary apse and…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From The Classical Tradition
Cathedral church of Constantinople (6th cent. ce ). When the old cathedral church of Constantinople, known as Megale Ecclesia (Great Church) or Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), was destroyed by a fire consequent to a major riot in 532, the emperor Justinian (527-565) immediately summoned two renowned…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Catholicism
Also known as: Ayasofya; Basilica of Sancta Sophia; Camii; Church of Holy or Blessed Wisdom; Haghia Sophia; Santa Sophia Greek: hagia , “holy” + sophia , “wisdom.” Among second-century Christians, Sophia, the personification of wisdom, referred to Christ as the “Wisdom of God” (Luke 12:49). The…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(hä'jӘ sōfē'Ә, hā'jēӘ,) [Gr.,=Holy Wisdom] or Santa Sophia, Turkish Aya Sofia , originally a Christian church at Constantinople (now İstanbul), later a mosque, and now converted into a museum. Hagia Sophia is the supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its spacious nave is covered by a lofty…
| 617 words
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The church of the Hagia Sophia (or Ayasofya, Holy...
Also known as: Ayasofya; Basilica of Sancta Sophia; Church of Holy or Blessed Wisdom; Haghia Sophia; Santa Sophia The cathedral church of Constantinople, built on the ruins of an earlier church, dates back to the fourth century CE hagia sophia in Greek means “holy wisdom,” referring to the holy…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(Greek: “Holy Wisdom”) Church in Istanbul, later a mosque and now a museum. It is the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture . Designed under Justinian I by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, the original building was completed in less than six years ( ad 532–37). It combined a…
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When Hagia Sophia was constructed in the first half of the sixth century, it was the greatest Christian church, with a commanding position in the city of Constantinople. It was part of the complex of buildings that made up the imperial palace of Justinian, a Roman emperor. Various names have…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings Full text Article Dark Ages: 500-1200 CE
Hagia Sophia
Architects: Anthemius of Tralles, Isidore of Miletus Completed: 537 CE Location: Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey Style/Period: Christian Classicism Hagia Sophia, once a mosque and today a museum, was originally a Christian place of worship, known as the Church of the Holy Wisdom until 1453. It…
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Full text Article EMPEROR JUSTINIAN AND THE HAGIA SOPHIA

From The Handy Answer Book Series: The Handy Christianity Answer Book
The architecturally gorgeous Hagia Sophia...
Justinian I (c. 482–565) was the Eastern Roman emperor who ruled from the city of Constantinople, where he built the magnificent basilica, the Hagia Sophia (a basilica is a large church or cathedral). Justinian created a uniform code of laws, called the Corpus Juris Civilis (the Body of Civil Laws). …
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Byzantine building in Istanbul, Turkey, built 532–37 as a Christian cathedral, replacing earlier churches. Considered an outstanding example of Byzantine architecture and noted especially for its 33 m/107 ft dome, it was an Islamic mosque 1453–1934 and a museum from 1935. The cathedral was built…
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Full text Article Hagia Sophia

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
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