1.  Hagia Sophia

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6.   What do you see?  What do you feel?  What type of activities might take place here?  What aspects of architecture strike you as interesting?  How high do you think the dome is? How does this make you feel?  What do you notice about the lighting? Why is lighting important in this type of building? In your notebook…

7.   “Church of the Holy Wisdom of God”  First church on the site was built in 360 A.D.  Earlier churches at the same spot destroyed by rioters.  Rebuilt in 537 by Emperor Justinian I  Was the largest cathedral in the world until 1520  Considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture Hagia Sophia Facts

8.   Hagia Sophia served as the focal point for the Eastern Orthodox Church for almost 1000 yrs  In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople  Almost immediately, he ordered the conversion of the church into a mosque

9.   First Turkish President, Kemal Ataturk, converted the mosque into a museum  Hagia Sophia became secular, neither Christians or Muslims are allowed to pray within its walls 1935

10.   Dome 102’ in diameter, 184’ high  40 arched windows  Pendentives- first time used in architecture  Expanded and improved Roman methods of construction Architectural Features

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12.  http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/content/hagia- sophia/entrance.html

13.  Justinian 527-565 A.D.