This mosaic shows how the arts—and an interest in naturalism—flourished in the final centuries of the Byzantine Empire. Late Byzantine naturalism: Hagia Sophia’s Deësis mosaic by Dr. Evan Freeman
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the sultan repurposed this church, adding slender “pencil” minarets. Hagia Sophia as a mosque by Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay and Dr. Steven Zucker
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 by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the sultan repurposed this church, adding slender “pencil” minarets. Hagia Sophia as a mosque by Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay and Dr. Steven Zucker
The golden dome of this vast building appears suspended from heaven. It has withstood quakes, conquest, and crusades. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul by Dr. William Allen