The Hagia Sophia

The End To A Long Journey

I think the first time I heard of the

Hagia Sophia was in a Humanities

class in high school but when I took

a class in Christian & Byzantine art

in college I knew I had to see it someday.

And yesterday I finally made it.

You can't imagine the majesty of the

architecture until you are within the

space, photos just can't capture it.

The structure was built as a Basilica,

then became a mosque and is now a

museum.  Sadly, many of the gorgeous

mosaics were covered up through the

years but here and there you get a

hint of how wonderful they were.

The Hagia Sophia is said to be the

epitome of Byzantine architecture.

In fact, the design was so revolutionary

it changed the history of architecture.

Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom.

Let's hope people in the future are

wise enough to preserve its beauty.