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| Saint
Sophia |
| This huge, brick-colored
building standing at the southern size of the Sultanahmet square was
built in the 6th century. It was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans
after the Conquest and is now a museum. In its heyday, the church
was regarded as a sublime architectural achievement. The building
stands on the site of two previous churches, one that had been destroyed
by earthquake and fire, The third and present structure was built
at the orders of Emperor Justinian I by Anthemius, a mathematician,
and Isidore, an architect, geometrician, and city planner. The two
collaborators obeyed the emperor's orders splendidly producing a building
that inspired awe and wonder. At its dedication in 537, Justinian
is said to have murmured in amazement and pride & quot;Soloman,
I have surpassed thee & quot;-a reference to the great temple
that Soloman had built in Jerusalem. In the nearly millennium and
a half since its construction, only three churches have been built
on scale of Haghia Sophia: St Pauls in London, St Peter's in Rome,
and the Duomo in Milan. Even today, Ayasofya has the power to spellbind
even the most hardened skyscraper-blase city-dweller with its grand
dimensions. |
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