Hagia Sophia is richly decorated with countless mosaics, added throughout its existence, depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, a myriad of saints or, in some cases, Christian emperors and ...

NARRATOR: The sketch depicts Christ, framed by a cross in a circle. Near Hagia Sophia, the church of Chora contains a strikingly similar image found in the crown of a dome. Takanezawa believes the ...

The Hagia Sophia is a major historical monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Istanbul, Turkey. The sixth-century architectural masterpiece is famous for reflecting the various ...

Istanbul, Turkey CNN — Whether you’re a believer or not, visiting Hagia Sophia is a spiritual experience. The architectural genius of this place of worship — which was built as a church in ...

For the first time in centuries, the sounds of Byzantine psalms, as they resonated within Hagia Sophia, have been brought ...

icons of Christ, saints and other biblical figures are a defining feature. In Hagia Sophia, the mosaics of Jesus and Mary have been covered with curtains since the conversion. While Erdoğan ...

Hagia Sophia has survived fire ... Prior to this, they had been plastered over and many, such as the great image of Christ Pantocrator which once greeted visitors from the centre of the vast ...

When Western tourists who are visiting Istanbul, Turkey, cruise into a port, many typically look for one particular landmark: the Hagia Sophia. Identifying the ancient temple, which has served as ...

ISTANBUL — Turkey has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument’s historic domes from the threat of ...

The Hagia Sophia is an architectural marvel and one of the most sacred places in two major world religions. Constructed under the orders of the Roman emperor Justinian I in 537 CE, Hagia Sophia ...

According to Islamic tradition, artwork of human figures are forbidden in places of prayer, while in Orthodox Churches, icons of Christ, saints, and other biblical figures are a defining feature. In ...