Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, Turkey

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

Wheelchair access: Accessible

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Hagia Sophia, completed in 537 in Istanbul, stands as one of architecture's most transformative achievements. Built for Byzantine emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537, this basilica was designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. The structure introduced a revolutionary fully pendentive dome, creating the world's largest interior space of its era and fundamentally reshaping architectural history. Constructed of brick, Hagia Sophia served as Constantinople's cathedral for nearly a millennium until the city's fall in 1453, when minarets were added and it became a mosque. It functioned as a museum from 1935 to 2020, when it was redesignated as a mosque. The building became the model for Eastern Orthodox church architecture and inspired Ottoman mosques a thousand years after its completion, including the Şehzade, Süleymaniye, and Rüstem Pasha mosques. Now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hagia Sophia remains the quintessential expression of Byzantine architectural genius.

Architect

Anthemius of Tralles Isidore of Miletus

Movement

basilica Byzantine architecture

Built: 0532–0404
Type: mosque, museum
Materials: brick
Heritage: cultural property requiring protection, part of UNESCO World Heritage Site
Place: Istanbul, Turkey

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Location

41.00833, 28.98000