Byzantine

The Hagia Sophia is the most famous Byzantine monument to be built. It was once a church and now serves as a museum in Istanbul. It began being built in 537 and has served many different roles since then.  It is famous for its massive dome at the top of the building and was the largest cathedral until the Seville Cathedral was finished in 1520.

 In the building there are four pendentives that support the large dome. On the pendentives there are mosaics that are known to be older than 700 years. In the late 1840s architect Gaspard Fossati was working to restore the Hagia Sophia and covered 4 seraphim mosaics. These seraphim mosaics were of God's protector angels with 6 wings were covered with 6-7 layers of plaster. With the work of experts the layers of plaster were able to be removed and the faces of the seraphim were revealed after many of years.

Another interesting thing about the Hagia Sophia are the hidden tunnels underneath the building and covered the city of Constantinople. In the tunnels were secret rooms were treasures were hidden away for safe keeping over the years. There are also burials underneath and the first person known to be buried in the tunnels was Patriarch Athanasius of the 13th century.