ayasofya  architectural designs  interior designs  hagia sophia  ancient history  mosaic  byzantine  istanbul  

One of the greatest surviving architectural wonders of the Byzantine period, the spacious interiors of the Hagia Sophia was decorated artistically with huge marble pillars, priceless mosaics and other coverings.

In 1204 the cathedral was ruthlessly attacked, desecrated and plundered by the Crusaders, who also ousted the Patriarch of Constantinople and replaced him with a Latin bishop. This event cemented the division of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that had begun with the Great Schism of 1054. It also means that most of Hagia Sophia's riches can be seen today not in Istanbul, but in the treasury of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice