Hagia Sophia
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The interior of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Built on the site of Byzantium's acropolis by the emperor Justinian I (completed AD 548), it was the greatest church in Christendom until 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire.
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Detail of the Deesis Mosaic in the museum of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Dating from the early 14th century, it depicts the figure of Christ (shown here) flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.
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The mosque of Aya Sofia, also called the Hagia Sophia or Church of Holy Wisdom, Istanbul, Turkey. This Christian cathedral was built under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I by the architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. The building was completed in 537. During the 15th century, when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, the church was converted into a mosque, with minarets added and Christian frescoes painted over.
Byzantine building in Istanbul, Turkey, built 532–37 as a Christian cathedral, replacing earlier churches. From 1453 to 1934 it was an Islamic mosque; in 1922 it became a museum.
Byzantine mosaics have been uncovered on the upper gallery while the main floor has displays of Islamic mosque features.
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