Presented by, Nivedita sharma Shreya Chandra Samriddhi Agrawal Prakhar Srivastava

1. B . A R C H . I V S E M M .
Presented by :
Nivedita sharma
Shreya Chandra
Samriddhi Agrawal
Prakhar Srivastava
E L E G A N T S U M M E R
Faculty of Architecture and Planning, AKTU ,LUCKNOW Presented to,
Priyanka Rastogi

2. What it is....
The Hagia Sophia is a
historic place of worship
in Istanbul, Turkey, in
Eastern Europe. The
Hagia Sophia has many
names: “Ayasofya” in
Turkish, “Sancta Sophia”
in Latin, and “Holy
Wisdom” or “Divine
Wisdom” in English. The
current structure was
built in the sixth century
as an Orthodox Christian
Church for the Byzantine
Empire, also known as
the Eastern Roman
Empire or Byzantium.
INTRODUCING

3. First construction: The Hagia
Sophia was first commissioned
by Byzantine Emperor
Constantius in 360 CE when
Istanbul was Constantinople,
capital of Byzantine Empire.
Second construction: The Hagia
Sophia was rebuilt in 415 CE by
Roman Emperor Theodosius II
and then burned down for a
second time in Nika riots.
Third construction: The current
Hagia Sophia was built in 537 CE,
by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I
Fourth crusade: During the
Fourth Crusade, Constantinople
fell under the control of the Latin
Empire for a time, and Crusaders
looted the Hagia Sophia

4. • Istanbul: The Hagia Sophia underwent several significant changes during the conquest of Constantinople
in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire under Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (also called Mehmet the Conqueror).
• Remodel: During the reign of Selim II (1566–1574), the Hagia Sophia started to show signs of wear.
Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan added structural supports including buttresses and two minarets.
• Transformation: After the Ottoman conquest, Islamic calligraphy designed by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet
covered many of the original Christian mosaics. During this time the mihrab, minbar, and four
minarets were added and it remained the main mosque of Istanbul until 1931.
• Twentieth century: In 1934, President Kemal Atatürk, the first president of the Turkish Republic,
secularized the building. In 1985, the Hagia Sophia was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site
component as part of a series of buildings called the Historic Areas of Istanbul.
• Mosque: In July 2020, the Turkish Council of State and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan re-
designated the Hagia Sophia as a mosque and resumed prayer services in the building.

5. The Hagia Sophia measures 269
feet in length and 240 feet in
width, with the domed roof
stretching 180 feet above the
ground. Built in a grand
Christian basilica style and is the
most addored of Byzantine
architecture.
Emperor Justinian wanted to create a
structure that represented the entire
Byzantine Empire. The floor marble
was from Anatolia, now eastern
Turkey and Syria, and bricks for the
walls and floor from North Africa.
The building is almost square in
plan. It contains three aisles
separated by columns, each
containing a gallery of mosaics.
Above the galleries are 40 windows,
giving the impression that the roof is
floating on air.
The building is almost square in plan.
It contains three aisles separated by
columns. The Hagia Sophia has 104
columns, many made of marble,
imported from Temple of Artemis in
Ephesus, city near modern-day
Selçuk, Turkey and from Egypt.
The main nave is covered by a central dome i.e.
107 feet in diameter and rises 180 feet above the
ground. The dome is supported by four
pendentives. The Hagia Sophia is the second-
largest pendentive dome, after St. Peter's
Basilica, Rome. There are two semi-domes, one
at altar and other at the main entrance

6. a floorplan of Hagia Sophia that I found in Wikipedia
(created by someone named Gothika) and adapted it to
include the elements we’re going to discuss.

7. Mosaics and marble pillars
decorate the interiors, and the
embellishments within are
stunning. The many levels of
stained glass windows, the
murals between the window
arches and on the domed
ceiling, the colossal marble
lustration urns, the massive
Persian script pendants
adorning the walls, and the
imposing chandeliers – with all
that no wonder experts
consider it the greatest
surviving example of
Byzantine architecture.

9. The Virgin Mary and Christ Child between Justinian I
(left), holding a model of the Hagia Sophia, and
Constantine (right), holding a model of the city of
Constantinople. Mosaic from the Hagia Sophia, 9th
century.
Its central atrium has a double-height
ceiling covered with its trademark round
dome. The periphery of the gigantic hall
has an upper level comprising a
horseshoe-shaped gallery.

10. What it is....
•From the foundation’s mortar to the
heavy roof, St. Sophia Church illuminates
centuries of an area ruled by Roman,
Byzantine, and Ottoman empires,
reflecting the diversity of religious life that
people have cultivated in the area for over
1,000 years.
•Built on the foundations of a 5th century
Roman church, rulers have continually
destroyed and rebuilt the structure, reusing
materials from previous buildings.
•Byzantine influence covers the walls of the
church, displayed in a muted array of fresco
paintings.
•Remnants of the Byzantine empire can also
be found in the pavement, which was
modified using rubble from the pre-existing
structure. The building’s reuse of old
materials reflect centuries of different
empires influencing life on the shores of
Lake Ohrid.
INTRODUCING

12. •Built on the foundations of a
metropolitan cathedral demolished in
the first decade of the 6th century by
the barbarian invasions that brought
the early Slaves into the region.
•Unfortunately in 15th century, the
church was converted into a mosque,
all the frescos were white-washed, then
the center of the archbishop was moved
to the church “Mother of God –
Peribleptos” close to the upper gate in
Ohrid. The Ottomans caused a great
damage to this unique gallery of
frescoes.
•The main part of the church was built
in the 11th century, while external
additions were built by Archbishop
Gregory II in the 14th century.
•In 2009, the Macedonian Orthodox
Church introduced a new Coat of Arms
with church of St. Sophia as a charge
on the shield.

15. • Its size and the arrangement of the fresco-paintings in the sanctuary seem
to suggest that it was constructed as a cathedral.
• It began as a three-nave basilica with a transept, dome, and narthex,
suggesting a transition to the civil construction of the 12th to the 14th
centuries, when churches usually had a square base foundation and
cruciform construction.
• The beauty of St. Sophia lies in its exonarthex with its open galleries
and two towers ending in small domes.

17. The interior of San Vitale, Ravenna
(547 CE), is an excellent example of
Byzantine architecture
characteristics

18. The interior of the Lamb of God mosaic ceiling in
San Vitale, Ravenna (547 CE); Basilica of San Vitale,

19. Basilica Cistern – Istanbul, Marmara,
Turkey
Monastery of the Pantocrator – Istanbul, Marmara,
Turkey
Basilica of Saint’Apollinare Nuovo – Ravenna,
Emilia-Romagna, Italy

20. Construction material
Monastery of St. John Baptist
- Vth century

21. What it is....
Hosios Loukas is a
historic walled monastery
situated near the town of
Distomo, in Boeotia,
Greece. It is one of the
most important
monuments of Middle
Byzantine architecture and
art, and has been listed on
UNESCO's World Heritage
Sites, along with the
monasteries of Nea Moni
and Daphnion.
INTRODUCING

22. It was founded in the early 10th century AD by the hermit,
Venerable (Greek: Hosios) Luke of Steiris (Greek: Lukas),
whose relics are kept in the monastery to this day. The main
shrine of the monastery is the tomb of St. Luke, originally
situated in the vault, but later placed at the juncture of the
two churches.
The monastery derived its wealth (including
funds required for construction) from the fact
that the relics of St. Luke were said to have
exuded myron, a sort of perfumed oil which
produced healing miracles..

24. Its square nave is surmounted by a
dome about 9 meters in diameter that
is carried by eight arches resting on
massive piers. The domed central
space is surrounded by two-storeyed
constructions which were modelled as
cross-vaulted chapels. The highest
areas (the dome, cupolas, and semi-
dome of the apse) represent the
celestial sphere. They are reserved for
the holiest figures — Christ, angels,
and the Virgin — and for heavenly
scenes such as the Descent of the Holy
Spirit (Pentecost).The katholikon is
built over a large crypt, shaped as a
cross-in-square church, with groin
vaults forming the roof. It is dedicated
to Aghia Varvara (St. Barbara) and
contains three tombs: the one in the
north wall is the tomb of Hossios
Loucas. The roof and much of the
walls are covered with wall paintings,
dated to the first half of the 11th
century.

26. The walls are veneered with marble slabs on
the lower section and decorated with superb
mosaics on the upper part and the upper floor.
The mosaics represent the more severe and
abstracted style of the Middle Byzantine
decorative art and date from the first half of
the 11th century.
The walls are built in cloisonné masonry and are decorated
with rich brick (kufic) ornaments. The diaconicon and the
arched portico between the diaconicon and the pulpit were
decorated with beautiful wall paintings slightly later in date
(11th-12th century) but traces of earlier frescos have also been
revealed. Coloured marble panels on the walls and gold
mosaics on the curved surfaces mask the structural elements,
creating a luminous interior.