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Map of Current Day Hagia Sophia Location and Little Sister: Little Hagia Sophia

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Image Source: Google Maps- Picture Marking the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and the Little Hagia Sophia

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Between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul can be found on the Bosphorus peninsula, a prime spot for empires such as the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ottomans to thrive and develop for many years ("Historic Areas").

Image Source: Pexel- Picture of the Bosphours Peninsula with the Hagia Sophia in the background. Photo taken by Ozan Tabakoğlu and uploaded January 19th 2024

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Byzantine and Ottoman Empires Coexisting in Europe.... Not for Long...

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Image Source: ABC-CLIO History- Map of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empire in 1535 with Constantinople on the Outer Edge of the Byzantine Empire, Dangerously Close to Ottoman Territory 😉

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Emperor Justinian Looking Royally Unimpressed 

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Snapshot: Emperor Justinian (483-565 CE)

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Snapshot: Emperor Justinian (483-565 CE)

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Justinian the great, ruler of the Byzantine empire, was known for his work in the government and overall bettering of the the city of Constantinople as well as the empire. While he helped the lives of the people in many ways, Justinian was a very expensive emperor, constantly fighting off other powers, fighting in wars, but also building architecture. He built everything between entire cities to churches across his empire. The most famous of Justinian's religious structures are the Hagia Sophia and the Little Hagia Sophia that currently stand in Istanbul, the city formerly known as Constantinople. While these structures are both of renowned, it is the Hagia Sophia that is distinguished for its architectural style not only in Europe, but around the world. In fact, it is the Hagia Sophia that brings Emperor Justinian great fame along with his other accomplishments (Hussey).

Image Source: Britannica Image Quest- Photograph of Half Figure Bust of Emperor Justinian by De Agostini

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The seventh of the greatest sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II, also Mehmed the conqueror improved the empire through consolidating its power and conquered the Byzantine Empire at Constantinople, his most well known feat. In fact, he deeply impacted the Siege of Constantinople, and it would not be the same without him. Mehmed greatly prepared his army for the attack, and the siege began on February 6th, 1453 CE when the Byzantines refused to peacefully surrender. Following the beginning of the siege, Mehmed used innovative tactics to weaken the Byzantines, and on May 26th, 1453, he repaired his army for what he knew would be the final battle. Further weakening the opposing forces with this attack, Constantinople fell on May 29th, 1453. Mehmed's impact on the Eastern Mediterranean continues today (Khokhar).

Image Source: World History Encyclopedia- Portrait by Gentile Bellini Published January 22 2018 of Mehmed II Sultan of Ottoman Empire and Conqueror of Constantinople

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Both built during the Byzantine Era, the Hagia Sophia and the Little hagia Sophia are testament to the period of art and architecture that Justinian the Builder pushed in his reign. Although one might think that the Little Hagia Sophia is just a smaller version of the popular Hagia Sophia, it is in fact not just that. Originally called The Church of Saints of Sergius and Bacchus, the church was devoted to two saints when it was built in 536 CE, and it is a completely different structure than the Hagia Sophia. The architectural style is not the same at all, and the Little Hagia Sophia is actually a very distinctive building. Also different from the Hagia Sophia, the Little Hagia Sophia did not become a mosque until 1513, sixty years after the Hagia Sophia had converted to Islam ("Little Hagia").

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons- Picture Taken March 25th, 2015 by Lens N Matter, An Orange Looking Little Hagia Sophia

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The decision to convert the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque is relatively new, only having been official since 2020 when the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to annul the structure's museum status. The response to the conversion is both welcomed and criticized. Islamists in Turkey are excited for the change, but secular Muslims in Turkey are not. Not only are citizens in Turkey weary of Hagia Sophia's renewed mosque status, but leaders and rulers around the world are too. Even UNESCO, finds a problem with Erdogan's choice, arguing that the Hagia Sophia is not Turkey's structure alone, and its importance is representing two faiths in unity. To fight their worries, the President continues to emphasize that Turkey has a right as an independent country to convert the Hagia Sophia to a mosque. Erdogan and the Turkish government have assured people that Christian relics within the Hagia Sophia will not be withdrawn. Now, Muslim prayers are a constant in the Hagia Sophia and everyone from around the world no matter their religion or nationality is welcome. Consequently, the Hagia Sophia attracts the most tourists of all the sites in Turkey, and 3.7 million people visit a year (Guerin).

Image Source: Flickr- Picture by Margarita Cabre Uploaded on February 18th 2021 Capturing the Hagia Sophia at Dawn

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The Hagia Sophia is a structure known for its dome and towers surrounding it, but its meaning is much more than this. While it is an "architectural icon", the Hagia Sophia also revolutionized religion for many centuries. It was originally built as a Christian church by Justinian the great, ruler of the Byzantine Empire, in the 6th century, and the Hagia Sophia, meaning Holy Wisdom, symbolized God's own wisdom. The structure attracted people from across Europe to the capital of the Byzantine Empire where it was located in the city of Constantinople. Eventually, the Byzantines began to weaken due to pressure from the Ottomans during the Siege of Constantinople in the 15th century, and they fell to Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottomans. Mehmed and the Ottomans converted the Hagia Sophia to a mosque under the Islamic religion and made many changes to its structure and traditions. The Hagia Sophia remained a mosque until the twentieth century during which the government pushed for its status as a museum, but a quick turn around was to come when a century later its museum status was revoked. Now, the Hagia Sophia is an open mosque for Muslims around the world (Sullivan 34).

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The Hagia Sophia influenced not only people around the world, but future architecture and buildings to come. For example, other churches of Hagia Sophia are in different cities with the same dome type structure, such as Ohrid and Thessaloniki. The Hagia Sophia reached even as far as Kyivan Rus, with dome liked churches such as the Church of Saint Sophia built in the early 11th century. Threads of the Hagia Sophia's original decorations and rituals ran throughout the new churches it influenced and created, and it was through this way that the Hagia Sophia was able to influence so many people. The structure ultimately pioneered the idea of God's Holy Wisdom. (Sullivan 34).

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The Hagia Sophia has been through many trials and tribulations, in fact the future of the structure currently holds the same fate. The many religions and different leaderships have changed elements regarding the building and its religion, but the basic meaning of the Hagia Sophia remains: an architectural masterpiece that showcases the creativity of past generations and the affinity for the value of Holy Wisdom within communities across the world.