The Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, Turkey

The Hagia Sophia or the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum was built in year 532 after the Nika Riot on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527-565). The Hagia Sophia was constructed by the greatest mathematicians, masons and mosaic artist was consecrated by Patriarch Menas on December 27, 537.

Earthquakes in 553 and 557 caused cracks in the main dome and the eastern half-dome. In the earthquake in 558 the main dome collapsed and the Byzantine Emperor called for immediate restoration. The Hagia Sophia was rebuilt and its original design improved without any visible alteration. It was also damaged by a great fire in 859, by earthquakes in 869 and 989, by a great fire in 859, ransacked and desecrated during the Fourth Crusade and during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261) became a Roman Catholic cathedral.

But it was always restored until the Turks conquered the Constantinople in 1453 and converted the Hagia Sophia to a mosque. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the secular Republic of Turkey.

For near a millennium the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch in Constantinople and represented the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture which had a great influence on the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Muslim worldwide. Most famous for its massive dome Hagia Sophia is considered an epitome of Byzantine architecture and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.