The belle of the Bosporus

In 532, Roman Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of an awe-inspiring church in his residence Constantinople - "one that has never existed since Adam's time, and one that will never exist again". Roughly 10,000 workers were involved in the construction work. For amillenium, the Bosporus basilica remained Christendom’s biggest church.

Justinian is said to have invested almost 150 tons of gold into the construction of the Hagia Sophia. The building was in need of some corrections though: At first, the cupola was too flat and caved in during earthquakes. The Hagia Sophia – "Holy Wisdom" – soon came to be used as the Roman Empire's official church. From the 7th century onwards, almost all Byzantine emperors were crowned there.

The year 1453 saw the end of Byzantine rule in Constantinople. After conquering the City, Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Crosses were exchanged for crescents, bells and altars destroyed or removed, mosaics and frescoes painted over. The addition of the first minaret completed the transformation into a mosque.

The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934. During the very sumptuous restoration works, old Byzantine mosaics were excavated. A lot of care had to be taken not to destroy later Islamic fixtures during this process.

The eventful history of the Hagia Sophia is visible everywhere. The letterings "Mohamed" (left) and "Allah" (right) flank the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus on her lap (in the back). Very notable are also the 40 windows in the huge cupola: They were meant to let in a lot of light, and to prevent the formation of cracks.

The most splendid mosaic in the Hagia Sophia is a work of art from the 14th century which had been excavated on the wall of the southern gallery. Even though it could not be fully restored, the faces are clearly discernible: Jesus as the ruler of the world is depicted in the middle accompanied by Mary to his left and John to his right.

Nowadays, it is forbidden to pray in the Hagia Sophia. Even Pope Benedict XVIth respected the interdiction during his visit in 2006 - accompanied by heavy security measures.Turkish nationalists had strongly protested against it. In recent times, the nationalist-conservative "Anatolian Youth“ collected 15 million signatures for a petition aimed at changing the museum once again into a mosque.

There is certainly no lack of mosques in the vicinity of the Hagia Sophia: The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as "Blue Mosque" (right), is located right in front of it. Nationalists demand the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque as it symbolizes the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire. In their eyes, this particular part of the Islamic heritage must be preserved.

Bartholomaios I, the Patriarch of Constantinopl, and honorary head of all Orthodox Christians, also lays claim to the Hagia Sophia.. For many years, he has demanded that Christian liturgy and prayers be permitted in the basilica. "The Hagia Sophia was originally erected as a place for Christian worship," he says.

The fate of the Hagia Sophia is unclear. So far, only the nationalist opposition party MHP demands its transformation into a mosque. Two petitions have been rejected by parliament. Reacting to international protests, the Turkish government has shown restraint. In the meantime, UNESCO has expressed its concern; after all, the Hagia Sophia has been a World Heritage Site since 1985.