hagia sophia: justinian’s gift to christianity and wonder of the world

Sean Donovan ARTH-007 Term Paper

Hagia Sophia:Justinian’s Gift to Christianity and Wonder of the World

Abstract

This paper looks at how Hagia Sophia, a 6th century masonry edifice, captures the spirit and history of Istanbul. Beyond being the pulse of the city, the argument will be made that Hagia Sophia warrants consideration as a Modern Wonder of the World. The building has uniquely stood for nearly fifteen centuries in a land notorious for religious, geopolitical, and geophysical instability. Moreover, like the original Seven Wonders of the World, Hagia Sophia possesses unprecedented architectural innovation and elaborate ornamentation. The paper begins with a discussion of the founding of the Byzantine Empire and Hagia Sophia’s origins. Next, the paper looks at the extraordinary architectural skill and ingenuity that is manifested in the structure. The focus will be on Hagia Sophia’s enormous dome and its earthquake resistant walls that have allowed it to remain the iconic symbol of Istanbul. Subsequently, the paper will take the reader inside the monumental structure and highlight several renowned pieces of Byzantine and Islamic ornamentation. In the end, the reader will understand the captivating qualities of Hagia Sophia, qualities that make Hagia Sophia a Wonder of the World.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction: Istanbul, at the Crossroads; Hagia Sophia, at the Heart……1

II. History: Harmonizing Two of the World's Great Religions………………2

III.Architecture: Hagia Sophia, Ahead of Its Time…………………………..6

IV. Interior: Indescribable Beauty…………………………………………….9

V. A Wonder of the World: Deserving a Place At the Table……………….14


Introduction: Istanbul, at the Crossroads; Hagia Sophia, at the HeartIf one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.1

- Alphonse de Lamartime -

Istanbul is the indisputable symbol of Turkey; however, the city has struggled to

attain a single identity. Istanbul links the East and the West, reified by the colossal

suspension bridges that cross the Bosphorus, connecting Asia and Europe. In addition to

fusing distinct cultures, Istanbul transcends time – the city couples the legacies of past

civilizations with the present Republic. Due to its unique geography and history, Istanbul

is one of the liveliest cities in the world.

Despite contemporary Istanbul’s incredible European flavor and Turkey’s rising

importance as an economic, political, and military passage for the West into the Middle

East and Central Asia, Turkey is frequently isolated from its European counterparts. The

country has been denied membership into the European Union (EU) and disenfranchised

due to its eclectic population and heritage. According to the members of the EU, Turkey

is not culturally "European.”

Though Europe has turned its back on the multidimensional Turkey, the European

Union has recognized Istanbul’s vibrancy. Ironically, for similar reasons as Turkey’s

exclusion from the EU, the EU has proclaimed Istanbul a European Capital of Culture for

the 2010 calendar year. The honorary title presents an opportunity for the city to highlight

its cultural diversity.

The title of European Capital of Culture means that thousands of additional

visitors will flock to the city and take in its many sites. However, if visitors truly want to

understand the complex city, it is only necessary to visit a single monument, the

magnificent Byzantine Church of Hagia Sophia. Just as Istanbul exemplifies the greater

1 Alphonse de Lamartime as cited in Orhan Pamuk, Istanbul (New York: Vintage, 2006), 63.

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country, Hagia Sophia exemplifies Istanbul. The church is the pulse of Istanbul, the heart

of the city, and the focus of this paper.

The paper begins with a brief historical background that will contextualize the

extraordinary permanence of Hagia Sophia, emphasizing how the structure has been a

constant in a land notorious for political, religious, and geophysical instability. It will

then explore the extraordinary architectural ingenuity that is manifested in the structure

before entering the church and highlighting its elaborate ornamentation. This examination

makes clear the building’s status as a Modern Wonder of the World.

History: Harmonizing Two of the World's Great ReligionsHagia Sophia is closely identified with the city… as an imperial Christian building, it proclaimed

Constantinople as the capital of the Christian world. As a Muslim building, it reflected the dominance of Islam and the Ottoman Empire. In both roles, it symbolized divine will.2

- Professor of Art History Eugene Kleinbauer-

Approaching Istanbul by water, as travelers have done for centuries, the skyline is

an overwhelming scene of domes and minarets. The formidable Blue Mosque sails by,

followed by the Sultan's palace, and then the “strange ancient-futuristic form of Hagia

Sophia, bulking like a giant Jedi helmet cast from dark-red masonry.”3

Today, Hagia Sophia, which stands atop the first hill of ancient Constantinople,

surrounded by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn, is a museum. In

his effort to unify the infant nation, Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey,

secularized the building in 1934. But, for a majority of its lifetime, Hagia Sophia was

affectionately glorified by two of the world's great religions, Christianity and Islam. For

Christians, Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom, was the home of the Orthodox faith. For

Muslims, the building was Ayasofya, a divine mosque. For all, it was, as the sixth-

2 W. Eugene Kleinbauer, Antony White, and Henry Matthews, Hagia Sophia (London: Scala, 2004), 7.

3 Melik Kaylan, "Masterpiece: A Beautiful Confusion; Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia seems to yearn for its past sanctity" Wall Street

Journal, Eastern Edition, July 7, 2007.

2

User, 05/30/10,

You haven’t defined it yet – what is this? Don’t assume reader familiarity.

User, 05/30/10,

Why is this capitalized?


century scholar Procopius wrote, a "spectacle of marvelous beauty, overwhelming to

those who know it… altogether incredible. For it soars to a height to match the

sky...stands on high and looks down on the remainder of the city...."4

Hagia Sophia’s history can be drawn back to the founding of the Eastern Roman

Empire. In A.D. 326, Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the

shores of the Bosphorus, renaming the small port of Byzantium to Constantinople. Thirty

years later, Emperor Theodosius II built Constantinople’s first great church. The church,

also named Hagia Sophia, stood for 172 years before the peasant revolt, the Nika

Insurrection, burnt it down in 532.

In order to reestablish his power after the revolt, Emperor Justinian began

construction of a new basilica just thirty-nine days after the destruction of the original

church. As Procopius recalls in Buildings,

Emperor Justinian built not long afterwards a church so finely shaped, that if anyone had enquired of the Christians before the burning if it would be their wish that the church should be destroyed and one like this should take its place… it seems to me that they would have prayed that they might see their church destroyed forthwith, in order that the building might be converted into its present form. 5

Justinian entrusted physicist Isidorus of Miletus and mathematician Anthemios of Thrales

with the task of building the symbol of Eastern Orthodoxy and Justinian’s authority.

Isidorus and Anthemios loosely modeled their plan on the Roman Pantheon. The gigantic

structure would measure 270 by 240 feet along its main floor. Soaring 180 feet above the

central nave would be a dome supported by four massive pendentives on equally large

piers. At the east and west ends of the dome’s supporting square would be two

semidomes, forming the apse and entrance bay (see figure 1).

4 Procopius, Buildings, (Cambridge (US): Loeb Classical Library, 1940), 14.

5 Procopius, Buildings, 12.

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The builders’ plan was unprecedented and for many, seemingly impossible. The

size and height of the dome, some fifteen stories high, were unparalleled, and remained

so for a millennium. Unlike the Romans, Byzantium did not possess the knowledge of

how to make concrete, so the engineers had to rely solely on brick, mortar, and stone,

making the task more difficult.6 Nonetheless, in 537, just six years after work began,

Justinian’s monument to Christendom was complete.

Justinian went on to embellish the interior with riches. Four acres of gold mosaics

shimmered from the ceiling while multicolored marble and stones gleamed from the

floors, columns, and wall panels. Evidently, for Justinian, splendor was a greater concern

than expense; the emperor spent 145,000 kg of gold (worth approximately US$3 billion)

on the church, a sum that makes it one of the most expensive structures ever built.7

For hundreds of years, Hagia Sophia served its purpose as the physical

manifestation of Orthodoxy. The edifice was arguably the world's most desirable stand-

alone piece of sacred real estate. Hagia Sophia’s importance as the center of religious

authority in the Byzantine capital was compounded with its importance as the primary

setting for state rituals and celebrations. Hagia Sophia was irresistible to both Byzantines

and outsiders. Armies of Arabians, Bulgars, Russians, and others effortlessly tried, and

failed, to take Constantinople, eyeing Hagia Sophia as its richest prize.8

After centuries of holding out, the Byzantine capital was breached in 1204.

During the Fourth Crusade, Christian knights marched on Constantinople, plundering it

and the cathedral. Yet, the gutted structure was still a marvel and an enticing prize for

6 Anthony Cutler, “Structure and Aesthetic at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 25

(1966): 28.7 Virginia Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred.” Nature 443 (206): 390.

8 Kaylan, “A Beautiful Confusion.”

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foreign armies. In 1453, Sultan Mohammed II attacked the city, defeating the Byzantines

after a fifty-three day siege. Although the Byzantine’s great capital was finally lost,

Hagia Sophia proved too great to be destroyed. Upon entering the city, the Sultan

marched directly to the cathedral, was taken back by its magnificence, and instantly

ordered its preservation. Hagia Sophia was then converted from Eastern Christianity's

cornerstone into Islam’s new treasure, a mosque named, Ayasofya.9

To further the transformation, mosaics were whitewashed to hide the idolatrous

figures of humans. Koranic inscriptions were placed in the four corners of the central

nave while four minarets were erected at the corners of the exterior perimeter. To replace

the large metal cross crowning the dome, the Ottomans erected a bronze crescent. While

the transformation was not taken lightly by Christians, Ayasofya quickly became a major

religious destination for Muslims.10

In 1847, the mosque underwent its most famous restoration. Sultan Abdülmecid II

invited Swiss architects Gaspare and Guiseppe Fossati to refurbish the building. In

addition to strengthening the dome and vaults, the two architects revised the decoration of

the exterior and the interior.

In the 20th century, Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk viewed the structure as a

unifying symbol for East and West. He closed the mosque in 1932, uncovering the

previously whitewashed medieval mosaics. In 1934, Ataturk proclaimed Hagia Sophia a

national museum. Nearly fifteen centuries after Justinian, Hagia Sophia still holds its

prominent place on the first hill of ancient Constantinople. Despite having to transition

empires, handle religious conversion, withstand world wars, Hagia Sophia has remained

9 Kaylan, “A Beautiful Confusion.”

10 Kleinbauer, Hagia Sophia, 87.

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an icon. Justinian’s church has transcended century upon century and still stands as a

monument to both human and divine wisdom.

Architecture: Hagia Sophia, Ahead of Its TimeThe architects in one respect outdid the creations of antiquity, and those of modern times as well.11

- Professor of Architecture, P. R. Morey -

Istanbul is a city in constant motion. Not only has the city swelled in population

from two million to ten million in the last forty years, but the city is also in literal motion.

In addition to enduring geopolitical turmoil and religious conversion, Hagia Sophia has

withstood constant geophysical instability. Istanbul is located near the North Anatolian

fault (see figure 2).12 In 1999, Izmit, a town lying 100 kilometers east of Istanbul was

struck by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake. The earthquake killed about 18,000 people and

destroyed more than 15,000 buildings.

Though Istanbul proved fortunate in 1999, the future appears foreboding. While

difficult to forecast future seismic activity, a study based on historical trends, predicts a

greater than seven magnitude earthquake in the next four decades for the greater Istanbul

region. Such an earthquake would destroy some 40,000 buildings.13

This news is not easy for the millions living in hastily constructed, unstable

concrete high-rises. Yet, if the past can be telling of the future, Istanbul’s prize jewel,

Hagia Sophia, should be safe. Hagia Sophia has already survived fifteen centuries of

earthquakes. Though it has survived, it is important to note that it has not been

completely unscathed. Resulting from both man-made changes and natural disasters, it

has experienced many cracks in its structural elements. Most notably, due to earthquakes

11 P.R. Morey, “Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.” Boston Daily Globe, 8 July 1923.

12 Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred,” 390.


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in 558 the eastern arch, in 989 the western arch, and in 1346 again the eastern arch

collapsed together with portions of the main dome and the semidomes.14

Nonetheless, Hagia Sophia has by and large stood the test of time. For decades,

historians, architects, and engineers have wondered how it has done so. Today,

computerized models and chemical analyses are offering answers. To understand these

answers, it is necessary to understand how Hagia Sophia’s builders were well ahead of

their time. Ahmet Çakmak, a professor emeritus in earthquake engineering at Princeton

University, says "Anthemius was the best military engineer that Justinian had.”

Additionally, "Isidorus was the director of the biggest scientific academy in the world…

It's like you hired Oppenheimer to build your house."15

Çakmak and his engineering colleague Robert Mark are at the forefront of

understanding Hagia Sophia’s remarkable stability. The two have developed

computerized models that simulate Hagia Sophia’s movement under various conditions

such as earthquakes. Their models have demonstrated that the building's strength comes

from its original square core. "Virtually all domed structures before this time were

essentially domes on cylinders," explains architectural historian Rabun Taylor of

Harvard.16 Conversely, Hagia Sophia was built on the crowns of arches, which support

the dome and extend to piers that form the corners of a square. What were also innovative

and unseen were Hagia Sophia's pendentives – the concave triangles of brick and mortar

that structurally transition between the curved tops of the four supporting arches and the

bottom of the dome.17

14 Tulay Aksu Ozkul and Eiichi Kuribayashi, “Structural characteristics of Hagia Sophia: II--A finite element formulation for

dynamic analysis.” Building and Environment 42 (2007): 2100.15

Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred,” 390.16


Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred,” 391.

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Remarkably, Anthemius and Isidorus built Hagia Sophia long before the

discovery of calculus and Newton's laws of force. In place of such knowledge, the

architects must have relied heavily on simple geometric ratios; such ratios played a

prevalent role in the construction of the Pantheon, a building Mark modeled in the late

1980s.18 Mark’s model of the famous Roman temple helped him realize that the

Pantheon’s windows, like those in Hagia Sophia's dome, were not added solely for their

mystical visual effect, but to also play a crucial role in avoiding cracks. Mark

summarized his finding by affirming, "They [Anthemius and Isidorus] knew from

looking at the Pantheon that that region would want to crack anyway along the axis of the

windows," he explains, "so they used windows to, in a way, put the cracks in

themselves.”19

Part of Hagia Sophia’s structural integrity can be attributed to its arches,

pendentives, and windows. These features, when shaken, distribute the dome's weight

equally among the four supporting pillars. But the very bricks and mortar used in place of

concrete have also proved vital. In the same fashion as modern earthquake-resistant

buildings, Hagia Sophia was constructed to be light and flexible. Hagia Sophia’s bricks

are much lighter and more porous than those used elsewhere in the empire.20 Çakmak's

research found that the bricks must have been baked at relatively low temperatures to get

the right reaction between sand and lime. "If it becomes higher than that," he says, "the

sand becomes glassy and dense."21

18 Ahmet Ş. Çakmak, Rabun M. Taylor, and Eser Durukal, “The structural configuration of the first dome of justinian's hagia sophia

(A.D. 537–558): An investigation based on structural and literary analysis.” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 29 (2009): 696.19


Nicola Dixon, "Byzantine church gives up the secret of its longevity." New Scientist 176 (2002): 13.21

Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred,” 391.

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In addition to lighter bricks, the original builders also used a particular type of

mortar. With the help of the National Technical University of Athens, Çakmak has found

that the mortar contains a calcium–silicon compound similar to that used in today's

Portland cement, the most common cement in the 21st century.22 Such a mixture has a

higher tensile strength than regular mortar, allowing the church to absorb the shaking of

an earthquake. Çakmak also found that after 1,500 years the calcium and silicon in the

mortar still reacts. Thus, the microcracks formed during an earthquake are eventually

healed as the calcium-silicon rebind.23

Cakmak and Mark, like many others, were curious to see how Hagia Sophia

would fare in the next large earthquake. Just as the past would have it, Anthemius’s and

Isidorus’s 6th century structure should continue to mark the Istanbul skyline.

Computerized models and dynamic finite analysis have shown that when hit by a

magnitude-7.5 tremor, the walls of Hagia Sophia will tremble and sway dramatically

back and forth. The tops of its arches will feel the most stress, but the dome will remain

unscathed, and the church will stand.24

Interior: Indescribable Beauty“Glory to God who deemed me worthy of fulfilling such a work. O Solomon, I have surpassed

thee!”25 - Emperor Justinian -

Beyond its structural stability, there are other qualities that have allowed Hagia

Sophia to remain standing despite its location in a land notorious for instability. Turks

and visitors alike have revered Hagia Sophia for generations. Christians and Muslims

have flocked to the building. Nobles and peasants have similarly gazed at the dome.

22 Dixon, “Byzantine church,” 13.


24 Ozkul, “Structural characteristics of Hagia Sophia,” 2105.


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Regardless of national, religious, or social identity, people have continued to be

captivated by Hagia Sophia’s indescribable beauty and unwilling to destroy such a

wonder. Hagia Sophia presents a sense of awe to everyone who is fortunate enough to

visit. As Princeton Professor of Classics Ruth Webb puts it, “How can one represent in

words the totality of visual experience – the infinite varieties of color, space, depth,

texture, light, and shade…?”26

The interior of the basilica is highlighted by aesthetic originality in much the

same manner as the innovations manifested in the structural stability. “Many of the ideas

in the great church were new at the time, and cannot be explained as the inevitable

consummation of a longstanding intellectual and artistic process. The number of windows

encircling the dome, for example, far exceeds any known Byzantine precedent or

successor.”27 Additionally, while the ideas of a masonry dome on a cylinder had existed

in the Western Roman Empire, Hagia Sophia’s vaulting scheme as a whole – as opposed

to a sum of its parts – is without precedent.28

Due to the longevity of Hagia Sophia’s existence, it is necessary to go back to

original accounts, such as that of Procopius, to understand its aesthetic beauty. Procopius

commented on Hagia Sophia’s seemingly weightless dome, stating, “For it seems

somehow to float in the air on no firm basis, but to be poised aloft to the peril of those

inside it. Yet actually it is braced with exceptional firmness and security.” 29 He adds,

26 Ruth Webb, “The Aesthetics of Sacred Space: Narrative, Metaphor, and Motion in ‘Ekphraseis’ of Church Buildings.” Dumbarton

Oaks Papers 53 (1999): 59.27

Rabun Taylor, “A Literary and Structural Analysis of the First Dome on Justinian’s Hagia Sophia, Constantinople.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 55 (1996): 74.28

Taylor, ““A Literary and Structural Analysis,” 74.29

Procopius, Buildings, 18.

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"The dome is a work admirable and terrifying... seeming not to rest on the masonry

below it, but to be suspended by a chain of gold from the height of the sky."30

Even more incredible than the originality of the dome or the engineered windows

is the effect of the two when combined with each other and with the rest of the church.

The interior of Hagia Sophia was paneled with costly purple, green, and white marble as

well as ornamental gemstones that convinced visitors that they “had come upon a

meadow with its flowers in full bloom.”31 The marble columns were complexly arranged

throughout the interior of the church in terms of size, proportion, and color. Many of

these decorative marble columns were actually taken from other ancient buildings and

reused to support the interior arcades. Along with the marble were colored stones. Black

stones were taken from the Bosphorous region, green stones from Carystus, polychrome

stones from Phygia, yellow stones from Libya, and red stones from Isauria.32

Working in conjunction with the decorative marbles and stones were precious

metals. The upper part of the building was elaborately decorated in gold that was

arranged to form a medallion with a huge cross in the center. During the day, the sun’s

rays reflected off the marble and the gold to illuminate the dome and central nave with a

mystical light.33 The effect of lighting was so profound that the glow appeared to come

from within the church instead of from the outside sun. This effect convinced ancient

visitors that Hagia Sophia’s dome was in fact the dome of heaven. Procopius attempted to

describe the phenomenon in the 6th century:

All these details, fitted together with incredible skill in mid-air and floating off from each other and resting only on the parts next to them, produce a single and most extraordinary




33 Emma Wegner, "Hagia Sophia, 532–37.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.

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harmony in the work, and yet do not permit the spectator to linger much over the study of any one of them, but each detail attracts the eye and draws it on irresistibly to itself. So the vision constantly shifts suddenly, for the beholder is utterly unable to select which particular detail he should admire more than all the others. But even so, though they turn their attention to every side and look with contracted brows upon every detail, observers are still unable to understand the skillful craftsmanship, but they always depart from there overwhelmed by the bewildering sight.34

Procopius goes on to further describe the treasures of Justinian’s church, stating,

The vessels of gold and silver and the works in precious stones, which the Emperor Justinian has dedicated here — it is impossible to give a precise account of them all. But I shall allow my readers to form a judgment by a single example. That part of the shrine which is especially sacred, where only priests may enter, which they call the Inner Sanctuary, is embellished with forty thousand pounds' weight of silver.35

In addition to the silver, gold, marble, and gemstones that decorated the Church of

Holy Wisdom, there was an abundance of magnificent mosaics. The history of the

earliest mosaics, however, is unknown as many of them were destroyed or covered

during Iconoclasm, a period (between 730-787 and again between 814-842) when the

Byzantine Empire imposed a ban on religious imagery. Nonetheless, after Iconoclasm,

new figural mosaics were added to Hagia Sophia. These mosaics depicted the Virgin

Mary, Jesus, saints, and several emperors and their wives.

The most famous of Hagia Sophia's mosaics are on the upper floor, in the galleries

(see figure 3). The galleries were originally used for church councils. When Hagia Sophia

became a mosque, the galleries were the place of worship for women. Today, the

galleries offer visitors a bird’s eye view of the nave and a close-up view of some of the

best Byzantine mosaics.

Though not the most complete work, the best-known mosaic is the Deësis Mosaic

(see figure 4). Deësis depicts Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. The

Virgin Mary and John the Baptist are seen evidently concerned with the coming suffering


35 Procopius, Buildings, 28-29.

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of humans as the day of Last Judgment approaches. The depiction is intentionally

straightforward, intended to teach the viewer a religious lesson, in this case, a reminder

that everyone will eventually be held accountable for their actions on earth. The work

exemplifies Byzantine art as it employs rich colors, a gold background, and shows flat,

religious figures with notoriously large eyes.36

Many of the earliest mosaics were stolen and shipped to Venice during the 4 th

Crusade. This event helps explain how such Byzantine art influenced Renaissance artists

who also used a vibrant array of colors and painted similar scenes of intense humanity

and emotional realism.37

With the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the mosaics were covered with

whitewash and plaster. It was at this time that the Islamic calligraphic disks were

suspended from the main dome. The names painted on the eight wooden disks are: Allah

and Muhammad (flanking the apse); the first four Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and

Ali (at the four corners of the dome); and the two grandsons of Mohammed, Hasan and

Husayn (in the nave).

When the Fosatti brothers’ restored the Mosque in 1847, the mosaics were

momentarily uncovered and recorded; yet, the mosaics remained hidden until a

restoration and recovery program began under the leadership of Thomas Whittemore in

1931. Today, the interior of the church continues to captivate visitors in the same way as

Procopius. In addition to the elaborate ornamentation, contemporary visitors witness a

physical manifestation of the church’s long history. Islamic calligraphy juxtaposes



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Christian mosaics, some of which continue to be covered by plaster. Hagia Sophia

presently harmonizes many seemingly contrasting elements.

A Wonder of the World: Deserving a Place At the TableThe soul, lifting itself to the sky, realizes that here [Hagia Sophia] God is close by, and that He takes

delight in this, His chosen home.38 -Procopius-

The list of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World has its roots in the Hellenistic

period when scholars such as Herodotus published guidebooks for the must see “sights”

in the known world. However, it was the Dutch artist Maerten van Heemskerck who

canonized the official Seven Wonders during the Renaissance. Van Heemskerck crafted a

series of engravings that captured and paid tribute to the now accepted list.39

The Seven Wonders – the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,

the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at

Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Pharos at Alexandria – all have several

commonalities, despite their varied origins, appearances, and locations. In general, all the

wonders lasted for a considerable time, allowing them to influence successive

architectural feats. In addition to longevity, the wonders exemplified architectural

innovation and originality in appearance. To complete them, they were largely decorated

with remarkable works of ornamentation, whether in the form of statues, friezes, murals,

or exotic treasures.

In terms of longevity, Hagia Sophia surpasses many of the Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World. Hagia Sophia has stood for nearly fifteen centuries, a lifetime that is only


39 Peter A. Clayton and Martin J. Price, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (New York: Routledge, 1988), 4-6.

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clearly exceeded by the Great Pyramid that has lasted since 2561 BC. The Pharos existed

in some form for a little more that fifteen centuries; however, for the last few centuries

the structure was not much of a wonder as earthquakes had largely ruined it, unlike Hagia

Sophia.40 Also of praise for its permanence was the Mausoleum. The Mausoleum lasted

for about eighteen centuries, but like the Pharos, the Mausoleum had been in ruins for the

last several centuries. Ultimately, crusaders used the remnants to build a castle for the

Knights of St. John.41 While the Pharos and Mausoleum may have technically survived

longer than Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia, as earlier noted, does not appear as though it

will be destroyed in the near future.

Additionally, like many of the Seven Wonders, Hagia Sophia has acted as an

architectural influence on subsequent buildings. Hagia Sophia has been proclaimed to be

the epitome of Byzantine architecture, a style that held its prominence as a transition

between Hellenistic and Medieval styles. Along with influencing other monumental

structures in the Byzantine Empire, Justinian’s Church continues to play a role in

American architecture. According to Anthony Cutler of Pennsylvania State University,

Hagia Sophia maintains a level of tyranny when it comes to the construction of Greek

Orthodox churches. In a study where Cutler traced the origins of design for contemporary

Orthodox churches, Cutler concluded, “each of the architects did look to the past for

inspiration, not to the historical regional origins of their clients, not to the variety of

middle and late Byzantine building types of their clients’ childhood or ancestral homes,

but to the supreme, metropolitan example of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.”42 Cutler

40 Clayton, The Seven Wonders, 155.


42 Anthony Cutler, “The Tyranny of Hagia Sophia: Notes on Greek Orthodox Church Design in the United States” Journal of the

Society of Architectural Historians 31 1972): 50.

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added, “There is a dependence on a common model, however well its qualities may

survive the translation.”43

In their own way, all the Seven Wonders were architecturally original and

magnificent engineering feats. For example, the Temple of Artemis was on a scale never

attempted – twice the size of the Parthenon.44 Likewise, Hagia Sophia lasted as the largest

cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years until the completion of the Seville

Cathedral in the 16th century. Hagia Sophia was the first pendentive dome and the tallest

in the world until the Florence Duomo was built in 1436. Finally, the entire church was

engineered with remarkable innovation that has allowed it to withstand earthquake after

earthquake.

The Temple of Artemis, due to location at Ephesus, a major Mediterranean

commercial hub, was also a fusion of east and west. As Edward Gibbon, an English

historian and Member of Parliament lyrically put it, “The arts of Greece and the wealth of

Asia had conspired to erect that sacred and magnificent structure… Successive empires,

the Persians, the Macedonian and the Roman revered its Sanctity and enriched its

splendor.”45 Such an account draws distinct parallels to Hagia Sophia, which was

similarly the product of east and west, a structure that is layered with history, culturally

enriched by every group that has controlled the sacred church.

The architecture of the Wonders was largely compounded with extensive

ornamentation. Decorative gold reliefs and elaborate friezes complemented the Statue of

Zeus. Additionally, on the screen walls preventing access to the throne were paintings by

Panaenus. The screen walls showed nine scenes, a sequence of separate pictures that

43 Cutler, “The Tyranny of Hagia Sophia,” 50.



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related to the iconic frieze, the founding Olympic Games, and various stories from Greek

mythology. The complementary ornamentation of a central focal point such as the Statue

of Zeus, mirrors Justinian’s church. Though visitors come to be amazed by the mystical

dome that appears to rest on the mere support of the air below, glowing Byzantine

mosaics captivate visitors.

Perhaps more important than any of the above criteria, a Wonder of the World must

convey a “feeling of excitement and awe” that moves people “when they find themselves

in the presence of one of the Wonders of the World.”46 As seen by both original and

contemporary accounts, Hagia Sophia has such an impressionable effect. To recall the

words of Procopius, “When one enters this building to pray, he feels that it is not the

work of human power....The soul, lifting itself to the sky, realizes that here God is close

by, and that He takes delight in this, His chosen home." Recognizing the consensus of

such sentiments, both today and for the past fifteen centuries, it is only appropriate and

just to provide Hagia Sophia with its necessary acknowledgement as a Modern Wonder

of the World.


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Figures:

Figure 1 - Hagia Sophia Vaulting Structure:Source: Image and original data provided by Bryn Mawr College, Mainstone, R. J. Hagia Sophia : architecture, structure, liturgy of Justinian's Great Church (London, 1988); pp. 72-73. Accessed through ARTstor.

Figure 2 – Istanbul and North Anatolian Fault:Source: Virginia Hughes, “Shaken, Not Stirred.” Nature 443 (206): 390.

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Figure 3: Floor Plan and Interior of Hagia SophiaSource: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia-floor-plan.

Figure 4: Deësis MosaicSource: Image and original data provided by Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives/ART RESOURCE, N.Y. Accessed through ARTstor.

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Works Cited:

Bruno, Debra. "Off the Beaten Track / Istanbul." Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2007, Eastern Edition.

Çakmak, Ahmet Ş., Rabun M. Taylor, and Eser Durukal. 2009. The structural configuration of the first dome of justinian's hagia sophia (A.D. 537–558): An investigation based on structural and literary analysis. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 29, (4) (4): 693-8.

Clayton, Peter A and Martin J. Price. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Routeledge, 1988.

Cocke, Thomas. "Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950." Material Religion 4, no. 1 (March 2008): 100-102.

Cutler, Anthony. “Structure and Aesthetic at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 25 (1966).

Cutler, Anthony. “The Tyranny of Hagia Sophia: Notes on Greek Orthodox Church Design in the United States” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (1972).

Dixon, Nicola. "Byzantine church gives up the secret of its longevity." New Scientist 176, no. 2369 (November 16, 2002): 13.

Hughes, Virginia. "Hagia Sophia: Shaken, not stirred." Nature 443, no. 7110 (September 28, 2006): 390-1.

Kafescioğlu, Çiğdem. 2009. Constantinopolis/Istanbul: cultural encounter, imperial vision, and the construction of the Ottoman capital. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press.

Kaylan, Melik. "PURSUITS; Leisure & Arts -- Masterpiece: A Beautiful Confusion; Istanbul's Hagia Sophia seems to yearn for its past sanctity." Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2007, Eastern Edition.

Kleinbauer, W. Eugene, Antony White, and Henry Matthews. 2004. Hagia Sophia. London: Scala Publishers.

Morey, P.R. “Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.” Boston Daily Globe, 8 July 1923.

Necipoğlu, Nevra. 2009. Byzantium between the Ottomans and the Latins: politics and society in the late empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nelson, Robert S. 2004. Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950: holy wisdom modern monument. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Nelson, Robert S., and Margaret Rose Olin. 2003. Monuments and memory, made and unmade. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Pamuk, Orhan. Istanbul. New York: Vintage, 2006.

Procopius. Buildings. Cambridge (US): Loeb Classical Library, 1940.

Schwitter, Craig, and Leslie Robertson. 2007. Powers of 10: Two leading structural engineers pick their favorite feats of man-made wonder. Metropolis 26, (Jan.): 106-12.

Taylor, Rabun. “A Literary and Structural Analysis of the First Dome on Justinian’s Hagia Sophia, Constantinople.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 55 (1996).

Ozkul, Tulay Aksu and Eiichi Kuribayashi. “Structural characteristics of Hagia Sophia: II--A finite element formulation for dynamic analysis.” Building and Environment, Volume 42, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 2100-2106.

Webb, Ruth. “The Aesthetics of Sacred Space: Narrative, Metaphor, and Motion in ‘Ekphraseis’ of Church Buildings.” Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 1999.

Wegner, Emma. "Hagia Sophia, 532–37.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.

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hagia sophia: justinian’s gift to christianity and wonder of the world

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