Bigger and better. The current Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century when Constantinople — as Istanbul was then called — was the heart of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire that ...

Hagia Sophia is richly decorated with countless mosaics, added throughout its existence, depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, a myriad of saints or, in some cases, Christian emperors and ...

Hagia Sophia, a former Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral, later an Ottoman mosque. Photo by Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images. Kate Brown July 2, 2020 Share Share This Article ...

Unlike many in the art world, ... Erdoğan’s government has promised that none of the ancient Christian artwork in Hagia Sophia will be damaged or destroyed and that it will simply be obscured ...

Both the Chora Church and Hagia Sophia are 4th-century Byzantine constructions. They spent nearly a millennium as Christian holy sites before being converted to mosques by the Ottomans after their ...

Update 7/22/2020 1:07pm EDT: Some of Hagia Sophia’s Christian mosaics will be temporarily concealed during Muslim prayers, a Turkish official said in an interview on Sunday, July 19.

When the Hagia Sophia is not being used by worshippers, the mosaics would be uncovered and the site would be open to all visitors and tourists, Turkish authorities previously said.

Art History Heavy Machinery Reportedly Cracked the Hagia Sophia’s Marble Floors Into Pieces, Raising Concerns About Its Preservation. In 2020, the Byzantine-era building was turned back into a ...

Bigger and better. The current Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century when Constantinople — as Istanbul was then called — was the heart of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire that ...