Our stay in Istanbul began with a visit to one of Istanbul’s major destinations: the Aya Sofya (or Church of the Divine Wisdom).
Aya Sofya is quite simply Istanbul’s most famous monument. It was built by emperor Justinian in 537 AD as part of his effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. It reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest in 1453. Later on, it was converted into a mosque and remained such until 1935 when Ataturk turned it into a museum.
The exterior is beautiful but the real beauty is in the interior where the magnificent domed ceiling and mosaics are stunning.
After soaking in everything on the first floor we climbed the switchback ramp to get to the upstairs galleries. The frescos are mostly from the 14th century and depicted biblical scenes. It is hard to believe that they are so old because the quality and skill of them is amazing. If you ever go we would suggest arriving when it opens because by the time we left we were swallowed up by the large tour groups.
In one of the walls you can find the weeping column which is a worn copper facing pierced by a hole. Legend has it that the pillar is that of St Gregory the Miracle Worker and that putting one’s finger in the hole can lead to ailments being healed if the finger emerges moist.
We saw amazing mosaics of the Madonna and child and also of the archangels Gabriel and Michael. As you leave the museum there is a 10th century mosaic that was pretty amazing, it shows Constantine the Great, on the right, offering Mary (who is holding baby Jesus) the city of Constantinople and the Emperor Justinian to the left offering her Aya Sofya.
Aya Sofya is quite simply Istanbul’s most famous monument. It was built by emperor Justinian in 537 AD as part of his effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. It reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest in 1453. Later on, it was converted into a mosque and remained such until 1935 when Ataturk turned it into a museum.
The exterior is beautiful but the real beauty is in the interior where the magnificent domed ceiling and mosaics are stunning.
After soaking in everything on the first floor we climbed the switchback ramp to get to the upstairs galleries. The frescos are mostly from the 14th century and depicted biblical scenes. It is hard to believe that they are so old because the quality and skill of them is amazing. If you ever go we would suggest arriving when it opens because by the time we left we were swallowed up by the large tour groups.
In one of the walls you can find the weeping column which is a worn copper facing pierced by a hole. Legend has it that the pillar is that of St Gregory the Miracle Worker and that putting one’s finger in the hole can lead to ailments being healed if the finger emerges moist.
We saw amazing mosaics of the Madonna and child and also of the archangels Gabriel and Michael. As you leave the museum there is a 10th century mosaic that was pretty amazing, it shows Constantine the Great, on the right, offering Mary (who is holding baby Jesus) the city of Constantinople and the Emperor Justinian to the left offering her Aya Sofya.
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