Virgin and Child Mosaic Hagia Sophia
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Virgin and Child Mosaic Hagia Sophia
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Virgin Mary and Child Mosaic, Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey.
Detail of the mosaic of the Virgin Mary and the Child Christ in Hagia Sophia.
The Virgin and Child mosaic, located in the high semi dome of the apse, is the oldest mosaic image in Hagia Sophia. Placed opposite to the main entrance, it is the first figure we see when entering the temple.
The Virgin and Child mosaic was the first of the post-iconoclastic mosaics. It was inaugurated in 867. Mary, sitting on a throne without a back, holds the Child Jesus on her lap. Her feet rest on a pedestal. Both the pedestal and the throne are adorned with precious stones.
The golden mosaic background is original of the 6th century. The image is believed to be a reconstruction of the mosaics of the 6th century, destroyed during the iconoclastic period by the Byzantines of that time themselves. However, no record of figurative decoration of Hagia Sophia exists prior to this time.
This mosaic was not covered when the church became a mosque after the Muslim conquest and remained visible for almost 300 years afterwards.
Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom", was built to be the main church of the Eastern Roman capital city of Constantinople by Justinian I in 537 AD. It was turned by Mehmed II into the main Ottoman Mosque after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and finally became a museum in 1935 after the fall of the Ottoman empire itself and the birth of the state of Turkey by the hand of Ataturk.
Hagia Sophia was famous for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building, an engineering marvel of its time and the summit of Byzantine architecture. It remained the world's largest cathedral for almost ten centuries, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.
Saint Sophia was designed by the Greek Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. The Byzantine architecture of Hagia Sophia served as inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques, including the Blue Mosque, the Fatih Mosque or the Süleymaniye Mosque. None of them reached the size of the original.
More images of the Roman, Ottoman and Byzantine capital one copy-paste away at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/istanbul
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
January 12th, 2020
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