Hagia Sophia

Background

Hagia Sophia means "Holy Wisdom" in Greek. In Turkish it is called Ayasofya. The name does not refer to a saint; in Christian tradition it has been understood to mean "the Wisdom of God," a title commonly applied to Christ the Son. The building stood in Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Two churches had previously been built on the same site. The first was dedicated in 360 and burned during riots in 404. The second was dedicated in 415 but was also destroyed by fire during the Nika riots of 532.

History

• 532–537: Emperor Justinian I commissioned Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus to design a new cathedral, which was dedicated on December 27, 537. According to a well-known story, upon seeing the building with its enormous central dome, the emperor declared, "Solomon, I have surpassed thee"; however, this account is regarded as a later tradition.
• 558–562: The dome collapsed in the aftermath of earthquakes. It was rebuilt, and the church was rededicated in 562.
• Medieval Byzantine period: The building served as the cathedral of the Patriarch of Constantinople and as the site of imperial coronations. After the Iconoclast Controversy (a dispute over attempts to prohibit the use of sacred images and icons) came to an end in the ninth century, mosaics depicting Christ, Mary, emperors, and others were added.
• 1054: Cardinal Humbert, the papal legate, placed a document excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople on the altar of the cathedral. This event is often cited as the symbolic moment of the East–West Schism.
• 1204–1261: The Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople. During this period Hagia Sophia served as a Latin (Roman Catholic) cathedral.
• 1453: After conquering the city, Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire converted the building into a mosque. Minarets were subsequently erected, and the mosaics were covered with plaster and other materials.
• 1934–1935: By decision of the government of the Turkish Republic, the building became a museum. Some of the mosaics were later uncovered and restored.
• 2020: On July 10, Türkiye's Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, annulled the 1934 decision. On the same day, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the building's conversion into a mosque, and the first Friday prayers were held there on July 24.

Legacy and Influence

Hagia Sophia is regarded as a defining example of Byzantine architecture and is considered to have influenced later Eastern Orthodox church architecture as well as Ottoman mosque architecture. In 1985 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul. Among Korean churches, the site is frequently included in pilgrimage itineraries in Türkiye that trace the seven churches of Asia Minor or Paul's missionary journeys.

Assessment

The 2020 conversion into a mosque drew repeated expressions of concern from the Christian world.

• Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Orthodox Church voiced his opposition before the decision was made.
• The World Council of Churches sent a letter to the Turkish president expressing grief and dismay.
• Pope Francis of the Catholic Church said he was "very pained."
• UNESCO also expressed regret.

The Turkish government stated that the matter fell within the country's sovereignty. It also maintained that, even as a mosque, the building would remain open to all visitors regardless of religion. Within Türkiye, some welcomed the move as a revival of the legacy of the 1453 conquest.

For the Orthodox Church, Hagia Sophia is regarded as a symbol of the center of Eastern Christianity. In Protestant circles, it is generally presented as a historic monument illustrating the history of Christianity after the early church and the development of church architecture.