After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the sultan repurposed this church, adding slender “pencil” minarets.
Location: Hagia Sophia
When the most important church in the East became a mosque, this mosaic was covered but three faces survived.
Deësis (Christ with the Virgin Mary and ...
The size and solidity of this Virgin and Christ reaffirmed the power of images in the wake of Byzantine iconoclasm.
Theotokos mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the sultan repurposed this church, adding slender “pencil” minarets.
Hagia Sophia as a mosque
The golden dome of this vast building appears suspended from heaven. It has withstood quakes, conquest, and crusades.