How Did Hagia Sophia Influence Architecture
Kaustuvi Thapa
The Hagia Sophia
&
Its History, Structure, and Influence on Architecture
Arch 2003
Figure 1: The Hagia Sophia as it stands today.
Known today for its beautiful architecture, the Hagia Sophia stands as a popular Tourist attraction in Istanbul, Turkey. In order to preserve and convert the ____, several modifications have been added as it was passed from group to group. This paper will analyze the history behind the building, its architectural structure and engineering flaws, and finally the significance of the Hagia Sophia’s influence on architecture after it.
A common misconception of the Hagia Sophia is that it is the Church of Saint Sophia. Although some scholarly books continue to refer to the building as such, they are …show more content…
During this time period, a common past time of the people was to go watch chariot racing at the Hippodrome (SEE IMAGE). By tradition, each Byzantine emperor chose among the Blue and Green team to bestow support upon; with one party sated, the chance of a riot against the imperial government versus the Blues and the Greens combined was on the down low. Despite favoring the Blues prior to taking the throne,, Emperor Justinian decided not to throw his support behind either team after taking the throne to put on a show of impartiality. This decision ended up backfiring on him as it caused both teams to resent him more than they resented each other. Circumstances lead their distaste for him to develop on a grand scale and eventually commence the Nika riots. Both factions took to the streets and starting setting the headquarters of Constantinople's police department, the Hagia Sophia, and several other important buildings on fire. Soon the aristocracy became involved as they realized it was the perfect time to stage a political coup and to get rid of the unpopular emperor. With the riots getting out of hand, Justinian and his counselors considered plans to leave the capital; however, the Empress Theodora is said to have talked them of out of it. According to legend, she declared, “My opinion then is that the present time, above all others, is inopportune for flight, even though it brings safety … or one …show more content…
Instead of building a traditional basilica, he wanted a basilica with centralized plan of sorts. A traditional basilica has a longitudinal format while a centralized plan is based on a geometric shape that has a center. In this case, a round dome. When the Romans created buildings with high domes, for example the Pantheon in Rome, they kept things simple by placing a round dome directly on top of a round barrel. The Hagia Sophia, however, was a completely different picture. The building has a square base, from which two half domes emerge to form a rectangle of space resembles a basilica. (SEE IMAGE) So how exactly were they able to place 107 feet diameter dome on such a
The Hagia Sophia
&
Its History, Structure, and Influence on Architecture
Arch 2003
Figure 1: The Hagia Sophia as it stands today.
Known today for its beautiful architecture, the Hagia Sophia stands as a popular Tourist attraction in Istanbul, Turkey. In order to preserve and convert the ____, several modifications have been added as it was passed from group to group. This paper will analyze the history behind the building, its architectural structure and engineering flaws, and finally the significance of the Hagia Sophia’s influence on architecture after it.
A common misconception of the Hagia Sophia is that it is the Church of Saint Sophia. Although some scholarly books continue to refer to the building as such, they are …show more content…
During this time period, a common past time of the people was to go watch chariot racing at the Hippodrome (SEE IMAGE). By tradition, each Byzantine emperor chose among the Blue and Green team to bestow support upon; with one party sated, the chance of a riot against the imperial government versus the Blues and the Greens combined was on the down low. Despite favoring the Blues prior to taking the throne,, Emperor Justinian decided not to throw his support behind either team after taking the throne to put on a show of impartiality. This decision ended up backfiring on him as it caused both teams to resent him more than they resented each other. Circumstances lead their distaste for him to develop on a grand scale and eventually commence the Nika riots. Both factions took to the streets and starting setting the headquarters of Constantinople's police department, the Hagia Sophia, and several other important buildings on fire. Soon the aristocracy became involved as they realized it was the perfect time to stage a political coup and to get rid of the unpopular emperor. With the riots getting out of hand, Justinian and his counselors considered plans to leave the capital; however, the Empress Theodora is said to have talked them of out of it. According to legend, she declared, “My opinion then is that the present time, above all others, is inopportune for flight, even though it brings safety … or one …show more content…
Instead of building a traditional basilica, he wanted a basilica with centralized plan of sorts. A traditional basilica has a longitudinal format while a centralized plan is based on a geometric shape that has a center. In this case, a round dome. When the Romans created buildings with high domes, for example the Pantheon in Rome, they kept things simple by placing a round dome directly on top of a round barrel. The Hagia Sophia, however, was a completely different picture. The building has a square base, from which two half domes emerge to form a rectangle of space resembles a basilica. (SEE IMAGE) So how exactly were they able to place 107 feet diameter dome on such a