Hagia Sophia: Legacy of the Byzantine Empire

Justinian I is the patron of the Hagia Sophia and created this version to serve as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. This version of the Hagia Sophia constructed under Justinian I’s order, was used to replace the previous version which had been burned down during the Nika riots. Before that version, there was another which had also been burnt during riots. Both of those versions had a wood roof so when building this version, that was taken into account to hopefully help fix that issue.

In the Hagia Sophia, there are designated places for the worshippers, for the worshippers to talk, and for those who lead the ceremonies or worshipping. When you first approach the Hagia Sophia as a worshipper, you enter the outer narthex and then the inner narthex. These both are at the west end. In these places, worshippers are allowed to talk to each other and interact. After going through here, once you enter the actual church, as a worshipper you are expected to use the side aisles to find your way to a seat. The side aisles are used so that worshippers are not in the way of those who are leading the ceremony when they come down through the middle. The worshippers sit in the nave, which is in the center of the church and comes before the apse when entering from the back. The nave also served as a location for the ceremony of crowning the new emperors. Those who perform or lead ceremonies and worshippers go through the center of the nave to get to the apse. The apse of the Hagia Sophia consists of a mosaic called the Theotokos mosaic. The apse is set towards the east and is where the altar is located. It is not to be used by worshippers, but instead higher ups.

The Hagia Sophia was created by combining a central and axial floor plan. Through doing this, the nave is in the shape of an eclipse which may of been done on purpose to show how the state and church are interconnected with each other. The Hagia Sophia has a central dome which is made from a rose colored stone and is carved at the base to create a clerestory to let light in. The clerestory on the dome allows for the dome to be made lighter as well as allow light to go onto the naos which is the central area of where worshippers are located during ceremonies. By having light let in and onto them, it creates a sort of “heavenly” effect. The central dome of the Hagia Sophia also has pendentives which are used to help support the weight of the dome as well as direct where the weight falls so the dome does not crumble due to the amount of weight it has. In the apse, there is also a clerestory at the base of what looks like a half dome. This was done to let light in on those leading the worshippers. The floor and lower walls of the Hagia Sophia were polychromed and there were multiple mosaics around the building which depict Christ. The church also has an inner and outer narthex which allows for there to be a place for church goers to talk before entering.

Throughout the Hagia Sophia, there are various mosaics which each depict well known scenes as well as show well known figures from Christian Gospels. By including these brightly made mosaics, the Hagia Sophia was able to solidify its original purpose as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. One of such mosaics is the Theotokos mosaic which depicts the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. The central dome of the Hagia Sophia was also created to contain a clerestory which shines light onto worshippers to create a heavenly effect. The orientation of the Hagia Sophia also reflects the religious beliefs held by those involved with Christianity. The apse, or altar location, of the church is oriented to face east, which is where the sun rises. The worshippers face east while praying which has been a long held tradition and may also have biblical origins. Christ is seen as a sort of light which may be why worshippers face east. The building reflects the culture of the Byzantine by being built on a grand scale with all the various parts coming from different provinces, representing a united empire. The culture also intertwined the state and church and by having the central and axial plan, it shows this union. Part of the function of the Hagia Sophia was also to hold the crowning ceremony for new emperors which furthers the connection between the church and state.

Hagia Sophia was made in a way in which it represented the various provinces under the Byzantine Empire and was meant to show the union of the entire empire. Hagia Sophia also was used as a central church in the Byzantine Empire. When constructing the basilica, Justinian I had each province under the Byzantine Empire’s rule send in something to contribute to the building materials and architectural elements. Anatolia and Syria both contributed marble which was utilized in the construction of the floors as well as the ceiling. Provinces located as far as North Africa sent in bricks which were used in parts of the floor and walls. Hagia Sophia has a total of 104 columns which all came from either Egypt of the Temple of Artemis which was located in Ephesus. Through each province contributing to the construction of the Hagia Sophia, it helped to create a sense of national identity within the building.