Originally built as a Christian Orthodox church and serving that purpose for centuries, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans upon their conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, it was declared a museum by the secularist Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Was the Hagia Sophia originally a church or a mosque?

Originally built as a Christian Orthodox church and serving that purpose for centuries, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans upon their conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, it was declared a museum by the secularist Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Which church is known today as Little Hagia Sophia?

The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, now known as the Little Hagia Sophia, was also built during the early years of Justinian. Dedicated to two early Christian martyrs, Sergius and Bacchus, it is one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Istanbul.

What kind of church is Hagia Sophia?

The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) was originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. However, its function has changed several times in the centuries since.

Was the Blue Mosque a church?

It was originally built in 360 AD and for more than a thousand years was a Christian church. It belonged to the Orthodox Catholics for the whole time, except for a 57 year period between 1204 and 1261 when it was a Roman Catholic cathedral.

Is the blue mosque still under construction?

The Blue Mosque is undergoing major renovations until 2024 so it is all covered in scaffolding so you cannot see anything on the inside.

Why is the Hagia Sophia a mosque?

Constantinople fell to the attacking Ottoman forces on 29 May 1453. Sultan Mehmed II entered the city and performed the Friday prayer and khutbah (sermon) in Hagia Sophia, and this action marked the official conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

What is difference between Aya Sophia and Blue Mosque?

Just Short of Spectacular By contrast, when compared to the Hagia Sophia, the interior is rather underwhelming. The central dome of the Blue Mosque, which is 23,5 meters in diameter and 43 meters high at its central point, is of course impressive.

Is Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia same?

The design is the culmination of two centuries of Ottoman mosque development. It incorporates many Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

Where is Sultan Ahmed buried?

The Blue Mosque, İstanbul, TurkeyAhmed I / Place of burial

Is a mosque a church?

The mosque differs from a church in many respects. Ceremonies and services connected with marriages and births are not usually performed in mosques, and the rites that are an important and integral function of many churches, such as confession, penitence, and confirmation, do not exist there.

Why Sultan Ahmed Masjid is also known as Blue Masjid?

The Sultanahmet Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) was built between 1609 and 1617 and is also known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles used to decorate the walls of its interior. The construction was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I.

Why Sultan Ahmed Mosque is known as Blue Mosque?

So why is Sultan Ahmet Mosque also called the Blue Mosque? Because its interior is lined with more than 20,000 handmade İznik tiles, a ceramic that is turquoise in colour with red tulip designs. The mosque’s upper levels are also painted blue, with natural light flooding in from the more than 200 stained-glass windows.

What is the name of the church in Hagia Sophia?

Little Hagia Sophia Mosque (church) (Turkish: Küçük Ayasofya Camii), formerly the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Greek: Ἐκκλησία τῶν Ἁγίων Σεργίου καὶ Βάκχου ἐν τοῖς Ὁρμίσδου, Ekklēsía tôn Hagíōn Sergíou kaì Bákchou en toîs Hormísdou), is a former Greek Eastern Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople,…

What other mosques are similar to the Hagia Sophia?

The Byzantine architecture of the Hagia Sophia served as inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques, including the Blue Mosque, the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex .

How many semi domes are in the Hagia Sophia?

There are four semi-domes on the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Fatih Mosque, and the New Mosque (Istanbul). As in the original plan of the Hagia Sophia, many of these mosques are also entered through a colonnaded courtyard, although the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia no longer exists.

What does Hagia Sophia stand for?

Hagia Sophia ( /ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiːə/; from the Greek Αγία Σοφία, pronounced [aˈʝia soˈfia], ” Holy Wisdom “; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum ( Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey.