Hagia Sophia Interior Dome

The dome stretching 107 feet across is an architectural marvel.

Hagia sophia interior dome. Even the geography of istanbul which demarcates the east and the west marks the history of civilization and many empires especially byzantine and ottoman. Hagia sophia dome sits at the centre of the church. 1985 9th session interior view of the hagia sophia showing christian and islamic elements on the top of the main dome annotations. Hagia sophia is a historical figure that touches the heart of istanbul s majesty which enjoys the breeze and cold of the bosphorus strait.

By friday the scaffolding was largely covered by red panelling. Graphics hagia sophia is a vast domed basilica that towers to height of a 15 story building. Nevertheless it s unique in a style of putting a dome on a square base which combines the secular power of a dome and the spirituality of christianity with a basilica form. Scaffolding was erected inside the dome as builders scrambled to convert the interior of the ancient building.

The byzantine elements of hagia sophia are present in the interior s grand dome its massive marble pillars and the intricate mosaics of jesus and the virgin mary angels and saints that were uncovered when the building was transformed from a mosque into a museum. The central dome of the cathedral measures 107 ft across and hovers 180 ft above the floor encircled by 40 arched windows. The dome of hagia sophia is the most striking element in the structure. Even though it was made by an intention of leaving behind the buildings made up to that time the dome of pantheon is larger.

It is mostly the dome which makes hagia sophia world famous. The second church built from a d. It was built in six years from 532 to 537 by justinian s architects anthemius and isadore. The dome is built by brick and mortar it is 31 24 mt 102 ft 6 in diameters and is 55 6 mt 182 ft 5 in high.

It has often been transformed into a focal point even on the world political map. It is between two half domes which together equals to the diameters of the dome. Because of the several repairs and constructions in time the dome lost its circular shape and the diameter became 31 24 mt 102 ft 6 in to 30 86 mt 101 ft 3in. Hagia sophia greek for divine wisdom replaced an earlier basilica with the same name.

The hagia sophia combines a longitudinal basilica and a centralized building in a wholly original manner with a huge 32 metre 105 foot main dome supported on pendentives and two semidomes one on either side of the longitudinal axis. 532 537 was by far the emperor s most ambitious architectural project.