The interior of the great Eastern Roman church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople has a long and complex history. The present church, which was completed in the year 537, was built by the Emperor Justinian in record time -- only six years. (If that does not seem so very long by modern standards, consider that the great gothic cathedrals of Western Europe typically took a century or more to complete -- and those had the advantage of being built a few centuries after Hagia Sophia).
The speed with which the Emperor wanted his new church completed is certainly a relevant detail for our considerations today because the additional time (not to mention cost) that would have been necessary in order to plan and fit the church with a full cycle of figurative mosaics was likely a key deciding factor in terms of the use instead of simpler, non-iconographic designs that Justinian ultimately opted for, which were rather efficient designs made up of Crosses and other geometric designs. As such, if we had the privilege of walking into Hagia Sophia within Justinian's own time (after the completion of second, new dome), this is what we might well have seen when we looked up:
Simple, yet profoundly beautiful (and it would have been all the more impactful in a time that was not so image-saturated as our own). What is most notable here is the large cross that is said to have crowned the second dome.
The absence of figurative, iconographic depictions meant that Hagia Sophia was relatively untouched by the iconoclastic heresy that would eventually plague the church in the East. However, the centuries having passed and iconoclasm having arisen and been finally defeated, a new impetus arose that saw iconographic depictions added to the Hagia Sophia's walls and ceiling. By comparison with Justinian's much more restrained ceiling designs, here is what we likely would have seen had we had walked into Hagia Sophia sometime in the later middle ages, prior to the fall of the city to the Ottoman's:
Once again, very beautiful, though you can see that this does give the ceiling a very distinct character. The differences are fairly evident I think, but we'll go through them all all the same.
First off, going around the dome within the pendentives were placed four six-winged seraphim. These were added sometime around the A.D. 975-1025 and a closer view of one of those angels can be seen here:
Second, within the great dome, which is the primary feature of Justinian's church and actually the second dome of the church (as the first collapsed during an earthquake approximately 12-15 years after the church's construction), it is believed that a mosaic image of Christ Pantocrator was added. Even in the absence of any further information that would certainly be a reasonable assumption as this was a common feature of Byzantine church design, however we are fortunate to have more to go on than simply that.
Here are slightly more refined versions of the same:
This also provides us with a good sense of the very different look and feel given by the Byzantine decorative work by comparison with the later, modern painted plasterwork of the late Ottoman era. It entirely changes the visual character of the space. In that regard, if you are going to try to imagine the splendour that was the original church (sic) of Hagia Sophia, one has to bear this key difference in mind.
Here, just for the record, is an example of one of these that has since been uncovered; it is of the archangel Gabriel -- and once again this particular focus aids us in understanding the Byzantine (left) versus the Ottoman (right) decorations:
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| The seraph seen with some of the original gold mosaic around it. To either side you can see the painted Ottoman motifs. |
Second, within the great dome, which is the primary feature of Justinian's church and actually the second dome of the church (as the first collapsed during an earthquake approximately 12-15 years after the church's construction), it is believed that a mosaic image of Christ Pantocrator was added. Even in the absence of any further information that would certainly be a reasonable assumption as this was a common feature of Byzantine church design, however we are fortunate to have more to go on than simply that.
Within the nineteenth century, Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati were engaged by the Ottoman sultan of that time to undertake a restoration of Hagia Sophia's ceilings -- then in dire need of repair. During the course of that restoration process, which saw them stripping away the old layers of Ottoman plaster, the Fossati brothers discovered the original Byzantine mosaics. Before they had to, regrettably, cover them over again with new plasterwork, with the sultan's approval they documented the mosaics they had found and one of those appears to be the mosaic that would have been found within the great dome, an image of Christ as the Ancient of Days, surrounded by multi-coloured ring:
While these are certainly the most prominent additions as far as the ceiling goes, they were not only figurative works that were added to the original ceiling of Justinian. To each side of the nave, just below the pendentives of the dome, we see two semi-circular spaces (called "tympanum" or "tympana" in architectural terms) containing twelve windows. Here where installed full-figured mosaics of various saints, including one of St. John Chrysostom -- arguably Constantinople's most prominent saint and archbishop. Texts in Greek were also found, advertising the conquest of the iconodules over the iconoclasts.
A closer look at the Fossati sketches of these figures:
We are fortunate that during the twentieth century at least some of these figures have been once again uncovered for us, allowing us to better comprehend and appreciate the full splendour of later medieval Hagia Sophia:
This also provides us with a good sense of the very different look and feel given by the Byzantine decorative work by comparison with the later, modern painted plasterwork of the late Ottoman era. It entirely changes the visual character of the space. In that regard, if you are going to try to imagine the splendour that was the original church (sic) of Hagia Sophia, one has to bear this key difference in mind.
In addition to these saints, other figurative mosaics were also added to the arches nearest the apse and the two semi-domes, as for example shown here in these illustrations:
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| One of the drawings by the Fossati bros. |
Here, just for the record, is an example of one of these that has since been uncovered; it is of the archangel Gabriel -- and once again this particular focus aids us in understanding the Byzantine (left) versus the Ottoman (right) decorations:
Of course, I'd be remiss to not mention the greatest image that was added to the ceiling by the medieval Byzantines, that of the enthroned Theotokos, found within the apse of the church.
There are other mosaics that were added to the walls within the galleries, but my purpose here is not to document every addition, but rather to attempt to to bring to life here in your mind what the splendid golden ceiling of the church must have originally looked like during its time as a Byzantine church -- as the Byzantine church.
Today, the ceiling of Hagia Sophia (see below) is still a marvel to behold of course, especially architecturally, but these days it is a mixture of Byzantine mosaic along side with Ottoman painted plaster.
The designs are close enough (but at the same time, not so very close), that it can be difficult to try to move past this to picture the fully Byzantine incarnations of the ceiling. What we can say though is that if the ceiling of Hagia Sophia is still a marvel to behold now, one can only imagine what a true wonder it must have been to see when it was yet fully clothed and resplendent in its original Byzantine mosaic work, whether that be the simpler late antique decorative programme of Justinian . . .
Or the more mature Byzantine form of the later middle ages.
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