Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia, also known in Greek as the Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, is a large church or cathedral built in the Byzantine style by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in what was then known as Constantinople (currently Istanbul, Turkey) between 532 and 537 A.D.

The cathedral is made of marble, stone, and other materials brought from many places around the empire and was the largest cathedral in the world until the 16th century. The interior was richly decorated and many walls were covered with mosaics featuring saints, emperors, and other figures.

The Hagia Sophia served as the seat of the Orthodox Church for almost 1,000 years. When the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in the 15th century, the church was turned into a mosque. In the 20th century, the Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

List of the seven wonders of the medieval world:

1. Stonehenge
2. Colosseum
3. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
4. Great Wall of China
5. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
6. Leaning Tower of Pisa

Return to seven wonders of the Medieval world list

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