One of the world’s most famous religious buildings, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia was extraordinary when it was built in the sixth century, and with a history surrounded in myth, legend and controversy, it ...

The Hagia Sophia mosaics are unique and represent the ultimate example of Byzantine craftsmanship. They are the only surviving examples of Byzantine mosaics from such a lengthy time period. They cover ...

When we go to church, we are moving from time (the here and now) toward the kingdom. This is represented in several ways. One ...

and Christ's own blood. "Hagia Sophia," says Crowley, "was the mother church—it symbolized the everlastingness of Constantinople and the Empire." In the 11th century, the Byzantines suffered the ...

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 ...

It consists of the first two capital letters, Χ and Ρ – called chi and rho – of the Greek word for Christ: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣX. The monumental Hagia Sophia in Constantinople – now Istanbul ...

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 ...

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 ...