Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950: holy wisdom modern monument

Abstract

Hagia Sophia, the church of Holy Wisdom, sits majestically atop the plateau that commands the straits separating Europe and Asia. Located near the acropolis of the ancient city of Byzantium, this unparalleled structure has enjoyed an extensive and colorful history. Successively cathedral, mosque, monument, and museum, its many lives are explored by Robert S. Nelson in Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950. Built from 532 to 537 as the Cathedral of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia was little studied and seldom recognized as a great monument of world art until the nineteenth century, and Nelson examines the causes and consequences of the building's newly elevated status. He chronicles the grand dome's modern history through a vibrant cast of characters - emperors, sultans, critics, poets, archaeologists, architects, philanthropists, and religious congregations - some of whom spent years studying it, others never visiting the building. But as Nelson insists, they all had a hand in the recreation of Hagia Sophia as a modern architectural icon. By many means and for its own purposes, the West has conceptually transformed Hagia Sophia into the international symbol that it is today.