If the earth was a single state

Istanbul would be its capital .

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Index
*Intro
*History
* Architecture Character
*Structure
*References

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U L Y
A
MAGNIFICENT ANCIENT MEGASTRUCTURE

Intro
Architectural type : Byzantine
Location : Istanbul , North western Turkey ( Constantinople )
Designers : Isidore of Mieltus & Anthemius of Tralles
Material : Ashlar , Brick
Diementions : Length : 82 meter (269 ft)
Width : 73 meter (240 ft)
Height : 55 meter (180 ft)
History : Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (573 - 1204 A.D)
Cathdox Church Cathedral (1204 - 1261 A.D)
Eastern Orthodox Cathedral (1261 - 1453 A.D)
Imperial Mosque (1453 - 1931 A.D)
Museum (1931 - present )

History

History
Location : Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul Turkey
( Constantinople )

Constantinople map

The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries

Which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both
The most famous ones .
Hagia Sophia Is one of the great Architectural building for both
Byzantine Empire
And the Hagia Sophia means Holy wisdom

Hagia Sophia Time Line

Constantine's Church (360 A.D) : Known as The Great Church

its the rst Church built at the same location where was there
A pagen temple , It was Constantius II who ordered to build
The Church there about (360 A.D).
This church was largely burned down in (404 AD)

Theodosius II's Church (405 A.D) : after the

Constantine's (great church) was destroyed ,
Theodosius II ordered it to be repaired
And he opened it again in (405 AD)

Theodosius II's Church

The church was completely destroyed during the Vandalism

Of the Nika Revolt in (532 A.D)

Hagia Sophia Time Line

Justinian's Church ( Hagia Sophia ) (532 A.D) : after the

Destruction of The second church,

Justinian the Great ordered to rebuild
What was damaged and destroyed but , the people were
Against him because of the high taxes he has imposed
In (532 A.D) the cathedral was constructed by 2 teams of 5000
Workers each lead by 50 masters. The work began on clearing
The site after its destruction . He needed to keep the public from
Rioting against him and restore faith in his reign.
A major building project is a great way to occupy the idle hands
He also wanted his new cathedral ready as quick as possible,
He turned to two men skilled in science and mechanics
To design the cathedral .
Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles

Hagia Sophia Time Line

Hagia Sophia Mosque : About a thousand years later
in 1453 A.D , The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire,
Mehmet II after they invasion Constantinople ,
He directly went to the ancient Byzantine cathedral of
Hagia Sophia When he saw a man hacking the stones
of the church and saying that this was a temple for indels
Lets destroy it .
Mehmet II ordered the looting to be stopped and
The church to be converted into a mosque.

Hagia Sophia Time Line

Hagia Sophia Museum : Nowdays the mosque has
been converted into a museum.

Architecture
Character

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Architecture
Character
In the exteriors the grouping of the smaller domes round
The larger central one was very eective,
One of the most remarkable peculiarities of these churches
Being that the tunnel vault retains it from externally,
As in the case of a dome. In no style does the elevation
So closely correspond with the section as in the Byzantine.
An attempt was made to render the rough brick exteriors
Of Roman times more pleasing, by the use of bands and
Relieving arches of an ornamental character.
A Byzantine building consists generally of a brick
Carcase or shell, the Wall being sheeted with marble,
And the vaults with mosaic, the marble columns and
Cornices being added on the completion of this shell.
The science of construction acquired by the Romans
Cescended to the Byzantines. The construction
Of the walls with a brick facing and concrete interior
Is merely an extension of the Roman system.
It was employed not only for walls,
But also for vaults, bridges, and a aqueducts.

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Architecture
Character
The general form of the building being more or less decided;
It was necessary to collect monolithic morale shafts,
And it was necessary to have a certain knowledge where
Such might be quarried or otherwise obtained,
Before the foundations were prepared, for the columns
Decided the height and points of support of the building.
These columns once assured, the body of the structure
Was proceeded with, as brickwork shell without further
Dependence on the masons, who were only required
To prepare the bases, capitals, and cornices,
Everything else being completed as brick Carcase.
The building was made of vast masses of thin bricks,
The mortar composing half of the aggregate,
When this had settled down and dried, the walls were sheeted
With their marble covering, the vaults overlaid
With mosaic and the pavement laid down.
In this the carcase was completed at once,
The bricklayers not having to wait for the masons,
And further, by reserving the application of the marble
Until the contracture was dry and solid.
It was possible to bring together unyielding marble
And brickwork with large mortar joints that must have
Settle down very considerably. The dependence
Of masonry unequally charged was a loading idea
In Byzantine contraction.

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Architecture
Character
The quantity of mortar was
So great that the brick at the times becomes secondary
In height to the joints. Brick was the material preferred in
The construction of churches; it lent itself best to all the
Caprices of the architect. The interiors were always lined
With marble and mosaics, or decorated with paintings.
The form the bricks varied innitely in Byzantine times,
But the ordinary brick was like the Roman,
An inch and half in thickness, and was always laid upon a bed
Of mortar, at least half an inch in thickness.
Moulds were used for the pieces forming cornices,
And the shafts of columned when of this material were built
Of circular bricks. Brick-making was the feature of
The Byzantine period. The core of the wall was naturally
Of concrete, as in the Roman period, but the manner
In which the bricks of the casing were arranged contributed
Greatly to the direction of the exterior of buildings.
Byzantine architecture was developed by the use of brick
In the frankest and fullest manner, especially in
Domical vaulting. Byzantine art is the Greek spirit
Working in Asiatic elements, for the dome on pendentives
Was invented and perfected entirely in the east.

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Architecture
Character
Domed placed over square apartments which is called
Pendentives, their based brought to a circle.
Whereas in Roman architecture the dome mass as a rule
Placed over a circular apartment. From the time when
The architect permitted the forms of the vaults and
Arches to appear in the exterior decoration of the facades,
The regular entablatures of the Romans were abandoned
And in the church of Santa Sophia we see fully developed
Byzantine style. In the older building of Rome,
The columns and entablatures could be and have been
Removed without causing the ruin of the building.
In Santa Sophia, the construction is reverted.
It is columns and capitals being not merely ornamental,
But really supporting the structure.

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Architecture
Character
In continuation of Greek principles the capitals even assume
A novel form, appropriate to their new propose of receiving
The springer of arches, the voussiors of which were always
Square, and not set in receding planes as in so called
Gothic architecture. The problem was to bring the arch
And column to support the arch. This was done by shaping
The block of marble which formed the capital so that a
Simple transition from the square block to the circle of the
Column was formed. There were 4 main types of capital
Used by the Byzantines, and these are formed in
Santa Sophia. The numerous round shafts of Santa Sophia
Exhibit a remarkable and beautiful structural expenditure,
By which the necking is entirely suppressed.
And bronze annulets surround the shafts under the capital
And above the base. This method prevents the shafts
From sliding or splitting, and retains the lead beds from
Being forced out by the weight, for large monolithic shafts,
As they had to be set up contrary to the direction of the
Quarry strata. In Byzantine, ornamental and structure
Were intimately united.

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Architecture
Character
In the Byzantine period no church
Was founded in which mosaic did not add it splendour
To that of sculpture and perilous stones.
In Byzantine buildings, then, the logical outcome
Of Roman methods of construction is seen;
Dome and vault are freed from the trabreated system,
And advanced to the dignity of a style through the
Acceptance of a novel principle and the discovery of an
Architectural expression suited to it. The use of rough
And small materials involved the constructive principle
Of the arch, dome, and vault and these forms
Were the elements of the new style.

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Architecture
Character
Hagia Sophia at Constantinople :
The plan consists of a central space bounded by four massive
Piers, 25 feet square , connected by semicircular arches ,
And supporting a dome ofc 107 feet in diameter ,
Ising above the pavement.

The base of this dome is pierced by 40 small windows ,

lighting the central area. Against the eastern and western
Arches of the dome abut half-domes , thus a long oval
Interior is formed. Within the depth of the south and
North arches are galleries in 2 storeys ,
The upper being for women. In the spandrel walls ,
Which stand up on the front line of the gallery arcades ,
Are ranged tiers of narrow windows
Giving additional light to the interior.

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Architecture
Character
In the exteriors the grouping of the smaller domes round
The larger central one was very eective,
One of the most remarkable peculiarities of these churches
Being that the tunnel vault retains it from externally,
As in the case of a dome. In no style does the elevation
So closely correspond with the section as in the Byzantine.
An attempt was made to render the rough brick exteriors
Of Roman times more pleasing, by the use of bands and
Relieving arches of an ornamental character.
A Byzantine building consists generally of a brick
Carcase or shell, the Wall being sheeted with marble,
And the vaults with mosaic, the marble columns and
Cornices being added on the completion of this shell.
The science of construction acquired by the Romans
Cescended to the Byzantines. The construction
Of the walls with a brick facing and concrete interior
Is merely an extension of the Roman system.
It was employed not only for walls,
But also for vaults, bridges, and a aqueducts.

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Architecture
Character

The abutment of these side arches of the dome ,

Not having half-domes resting against them ,
Is taken by huge external buttresses.
Out of these rectangular angles being lled it with domes .
In front of the outer narthex is an entrance court surrounded
By a colonnade. The great piers are constructed of squared
Stones , the rest of the building is of brickwork.
Internally the walls, piers , and oor are lined with coloured
Marbles xed to the walls by metal cramps , the vaults
Are enriched with mosaics of the apostlesand angels on a
Golden ground , and the columns are of the precious and
Many- colored marbles , with bronze rings
Connecting the shafts with capitals and bases.

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Architecture
Character

Externally , the vaulting of the domes is visible ,

Being covered with lead 0.25 inch thick resting on wooden
Battens placed immediately on the brick vaults.
The minarets, shown in the illustrations ,
Have of course been added in Mohometan times.
The mosaics are partially covered up and replaced
By quotations from the Quran.

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Architecture
Character

Hagia Sophia is the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture as

The Parthenon is of Greek or the pantheon of Roman.
Foundation stone laid by Justinian A.D. 532 ,
The central dome is 107 feet in diameter ,
And surrounded by 4 arches abutting on masses of
Masonry 75 feet long and 25 feet wide. East and west
Are semi-domes.
Santa Sophia was used as a mosque and is covered with
Saracenic decorations.
The exterior is in Brick. And now used as a museum.

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Architecture
Character

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Structure

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Structure
Hagia Sophia has gigantic central space of 31m marked out by four
great peers. To span an area the size of Hagia Sophia's dome,
the building material needed to be exceptionally light.
The dome of Hagia Sophia is 56m
high and over 31m across. It spans
a nave 3 times wider than any
gothic cathedral.

Nave

They had to think of a way to place

the round dome onto the square
base created by the piers.
Plan of Hagia Sophia
Dome

Section of Hagia Sophia

The dome sits on top of 4 great

arches in the center of the
cathedral each 31m wide but the
dome sits directly on the top most
point of each arch. But without
additional support, it would crack
and collapse upon itself.

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Structure

Pendantives

A dome suspended over the square base

to mark the nave. Means putting a
circular structure on top of a square
structure. And the architects solved this
by using pendentives.
This was the rst time that pendentives
such as those has been used to support a
dome. The triangular pendentives were concave mincing the curve of
the dome. They also counter acted the tendency of the dome into the
piers that supported the arches channeling the weight down to the
ground.
They took a rectangular structure and put pendentives in it and change
it into a circular structure and on top of the circular structure they built
a cylinder and on top of the cylinder the put the dome. (how the rst
dome was built)
The arches had to be massive which created problems. Because the
arches generate signicant horizontal thrust at the bottom. So the
arch goes down and the bottom kick out. (The cathedral was 140m
long)

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They made an extension at

either end and roong it with a
half dome, which gives support
to the main arch.. They also
added smaller semi dome,
doubling the length of the
nave without increasing the
span of the supporting
infrastructure.But they needed
light material to build the dome,
so they imported special
lightweight bricks from Rhodes.

Structure
The mortar between the bricks is thicker than the bricks and contains
an amount of crushed bricks. It is made of the same material of the
bricks resulting in a very strong bond between the bricks and the
mortar. But still, the weight of the dome exerts a great load on the
supporting piers pushing them out of alignment.

Stone

Mortar

On either sides of the nave, two

access passages ran the entire
length of the building, and
directly above these were
another two corridors lined by
colonnades.
The arches that form the
corridor were built into the
structural piers that hold up the
dome. These arches were
extended across the corridor to
create four huge buttresses
that channeled the thrust of the
dome down to the ground
absorbing the huge weight
above them.
Many of the features of the
cathedral were made with
stone which adds to the weight
of the building resulting in
more pressure on the over
loaded structure.

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Structure
The columns of the cathedral were made of marble, but they couldnt
aord to crave all of the columns from scratch, so they had to cut
corners. At each end of the Hagia Sophias nave is a set of gigantic
columns, some of them are at least 30 cm shorter than the others
because they might have been reused.

The original plan has been to duplicate the width of the colonnade from
the ground level in the gallery above. But that changed. When the
building reached the upper level of the structure, the designers
shortened the colonnade and altered the position of the upper pillars.
(Maybe they couldnt ne columns large enough for the upper level of
the cathedral. Or the more reasonable explanation is that they wanted
to nish it in a shorter amount of time.)

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Original Plan

Changes

Structure
The weight of the arches started pushing the piers out of shape. The
designed some of the piers to act like buttresses absorbing the weight
of the dome and the arches supporting it. But as the weight of the
great arches pressed upon them, the weak points began to shear.
To solve that, they added reinforced arches within the existing buttress
piers, they also have increased the height of the piers adding additional
cross bracing and lling in the upper most arch to give it strength,
but that wasnt enough. We can see today how the weight of the dome
tilted the columns outwards. The solution for that was a set of
projections that can be seen outside of the cathedral, they work on
deecting the outward thrust of the piers down into the ground.

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Structure
Due to the outward thrust of the walls, now meant the base on which
the dome rests on is no longer square. Because of that, a perfect circle
was impossible, so they had to build an elliptical dome with a shallow
curve that could span the uneven dimensions, it sat on top of a cylinder
which allowed light to go inside the dome, but it was unstable. It stood
for 20 years until it was shaken by a massive earth quake that caused
the dome to crack. A team of workers worked on repairing the damage.
In 558 A.D, while the repairing was taking part, another earthquake
caused the eastern part of the vault to fall down. The dome collapsed.

Later on, the dome was replace and they realized the core of the
problem was the cylinder in which the dome was sitting. Getting rid of
the cylinder would get rid of the weak link in the structure. So they
remodeled the upper part in the north and the south arches altering
the distance the dome needed to span. If the dome was made a
perfect half sphere, the weight bearing down on the pendentives would
no longer channel properly into the support, so they adjusted the radius
of the dome to match the angle of the pendentives, which made it a
more stable. (It took 4 years to repair the dome)
They also built shock absorbers into the columns using Lead to base to
colonnade base and also the capitals, which allows it to be exible.

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Structure

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References
*A history of architecture on the comparative way (P .192 - 203)
(Banister F. Fletcher)
*National geographic Megastructures Istanbul's Hagia Sophia
(Video)
*www.hagiasophia.com
*Web sites for images

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