History / Golden Horn / Emperors / Religion / Art The magnificent Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom, was completed by Emperor Justinian in 537 and become the focus of religios life in Constantinople. Processions filed in and out of its doors on the frequent saint's days, and most Byzantine emperors after Justinian were crowned in the church. More than 10,000 people worked on the building of Hagia Sophia; when it was finished, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, "Solom, I have outdone thee". The superficies of the interior is over 23,000 square feet. Passing through two vast porticoes there are a huge vault some 186 feet high and over 100 feet wide. The Huge central dome, 107 ft across and set on four sturdy piers over the square central area, is flanked by a number of smaller domes. This Byzantine style of church architecture was widely copied, especially in Italy and the Balkans. Hagia Sophia became a mosque after the fall of Constantinople. Sultan Mehmet II had a soldier flogged for trying to break up a mosaic in the Church of Holy Wisdom. St. sophia is now a museum. Back to Golden Horn Back to Learning Categories > History History / Golden Horn / Emperors / Religion / Art