The most beautiful Cathedral of Hagia Sophia - the place where the heart of Constantinople beats

Hagia Sophia is one of the most beautiful monuments of world architecture. His story began in 324-327, during the reign of Emperor Constantine. It was then that the first temple was built on the market square, but in 532 it burned down during the uprising. By the decree of Emperor Justinian I, a new church was rebuilt in the same place as a symbol of the greatness of the empire and the decoration of the capital in the shortest possible time (532-537) . For more than ten centuries, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was the largest temple in the entire Christian world.

And the ambassadors of the Russian prince Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko, having visited here, informed him: the magnificence of this dome basilica of the three naves is so great that being in it is akin to being in paradise. Perhaps this is what prompted Vladimir to baptize Rus in the tenth century.

The building of the temple is striking in its dimensions and height, which is 55.6 m. The middle nave is wide, the lateral ones are narrower. The basilica is crowned by a huge dome, whose diameter is 31 m. A huge amount of 320,000 pounds was spent on the Hagia Sophia in the sixth century, which was about 130 (!) Tons of gold. Only the columns brought from the legendary Greek and Roman structures were of great value.

Marble was brought from the temple of Artemis, granite - from a port high school in Ephesus, porphyry delivered to the construction site of the Roman Temple of the Sun and the Sanctuary of Apollo. Marble slabs are mined in the oldest quarries, as well as in the depths of Mount Pentilikon, located 23 km from Athens, famous for the fact that it was from its marble that the Temple of the Goddess Athena was built . All the luxury that the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia possessed is even hard to imagine, but the fact that gold was used to make the top board of the throne for the patriarch, and then precious sapphires, pearls, topazes, amethysts and rubies were deliberately thrown at him, says a lot.

Narthexes are part of the building reserved for the preparation for the prayer ritual. You will not see a lavish decor - gold and silver coverings disappeared at the time of the Latin invasion. Attention is drawn to unique mosaic plates, as well as columns brought from different places.

The ancient reliefs dating from the 12th century, the mosaic images of Jesus Christ, St. Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, laid out above the imperial door back in the 9th century, instill in the soul a special feeling.

The most talented architects and artists of that time were invited to build the temple. That is why in our days the Cathedral of Saint Sophia is stunning with its importance and beauty. The main space of the church - naos - has special lighting, created by a multitude of windows and arches. Images of Jesus, angels, portraits of the oldest patriarchs, emperors and empresses, giant posters with Arabic characters - all this creates a unique atmosphere.

Here every centimeter has its own history, the oldest manuscripts and a unique library are priceless, and galleries are another miracle of architectural craftsmanship. Huge marble balls, brought to the temple in the XVI century from Pergamum itself, still decorate the main entrance.

There is one tourist attraction, by which tourists do not pass - the Weeping Column. After all, in it, according to the belief, there is a miracle hole, along which it is enough to draw a finger, to outline a circle - and the desire is sure to come true. A great and beautiful structure is the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia! Constantinople is a happy city, whose heart is beating in the walls of this majestic temple.