Originally a church, later a mosque, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia (532–537) by Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral (1507) in Spain.[1]
Hagia Sophia is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The building was erected three times by the Eastern Roman Empire. The present Hagia Sophia is the third, built in 537 AD.
The below photos were taken on 03/23/2023.
Shoes off for all and headscarf on for women before entering
Tympanum Mosaic, situated in the tympanum of the southwestern entrance. The medallions on both sides of the Virgin's head carry the monograms MP and ΘΥ, an abbreviation of "Mētēr" and "Theou", meaning "Mother of God".