Get Adobe Flash player


pagans temple
by Zero-X

Hagia Sophia ? Basilica, Mosque, Museum.

There are places on earth which can’t refer to one culture and one belief only. They are the indelible traces of human history, long, intricate and sometimes bloody. One of these is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey – the building not only magnificent, but also exceptionally beautiful.

The story of this great building started, like it often happens, with the place where another ancient construction used to stand. This was the church built during the reign of Constantine the Great – that very Constantine who was the first of the Roman emperors to adopt Christianity. He transformed Byzantium into a new capital, which we now call Constantinople – the city of Constantine.

Not only did Constantine leave Rome – on the shores of the faraway Bosporus he started construction of a new Christian city. That is why even though its art had pagan, western routes, it was greatly influenced by the eastern, Christian principles. Already in V–VI AC the new cultural, artistic and architectural movement appeared, which was based on Christian dogmas. Moreover, the new constructions had oriental roots. For instance, the East was the motherland of a dome, which allowed new constructive and aesthetic opportunities. Characteristic of the Byzantine churches is the central cupola and deviation from classic forms of a basilica.

Hagia Sophia became a building of the kind. Emperor Justinian I invited famous specialists – Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, and thousands of workers. Building materials were brought from all around the great empire, sculptors and stonemasons from Efesus, Athens, Delphi and different Egyptian cities worked on the basilica, eight porphyritic columns were

Pages: 1 2

Search Thorn & Oak


• Have your Advertisment   Featured here

Contact us now <<click here>> have your advertisment featured on our site.

• Welcome to Thorn & Oak
• Join the Mailing List

Keep up to date with the latest changes on this site join our mailing list sign up below.



FREE TAROT READINGS
Lotus Tarot card readings can show you a fresh perspective on your life.
Lotus Tarot
December 2024
S M T W T F S
« Feb    
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
Powered by WebRing.