The church was burned again in the Nika insurrection of January 532, a circumstance that gave Justinian I an opportunity to envision a splendid replacement. The resultant Hagia Sophia was built in the remarkably short time of about six years, being completed in 537 ce.

How long did the Hagia Sophia take to build?

five years, ten months

Under the rule of Justinian the Emperor, and with a force of 10,000 workers, the dome atop the church of Hagia Sophia was built in record time: it took just five years, ten months, and four days to complete.

How was Hagia Sophia built so fast?

Hagia Sophia gained the “fastest-built church” title within five years and 10 months. The emperor had to use ready materials for fast progress, so he had material brought to Istanbul from temples, marble and stone quarries from all across Anatolia.

What happens to the Hagia Sophia after 1453?

After Mehmet II’s conquest of the city in 1453, Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque (Ayasofya Camii), which it remained until the fall of the Ottoman empire in the early twentieth century.

When did Constantine build the Hagia Sophia?

However, its function has changed several times in the centuries since. Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D.

How many times was the Hagia Sophia destroyed?

It has been destroyed and rebuilt over 8 times.



The Hagia Sophia is actually built on a fault line, making it extra vulnerable to earthquakes and natural disasters! There were earthquakes in 553, 557, 558, 869, 989, and 1344 that resulted in severe damage to the building.

How much did it cost to build the Hagia Sophia?

It cost for Justinian the Great 3 annual budget of Byzantium, but for you just 40 lire. The construction of Hagia Sophia cost for Justinian the Great 3 annual budget of Byzantium, but for you just 40 lire. A masterpiece, admired by tourists now, blew the budget, and severely weakened the Byzantine Empire.

Is Hagia Sophia the Blue Mosque?

It sits next to the Hagia Sophia, the principal mosque of Istanbul until the Blue Mosque’s construction and another popular tourist site. The Blue Mosque was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985 under the name of “Historic Areas of Istanbul”.

Is Hagia Sophia a mosque now?

It served as a mosque until 1935, when it became a museum. In 2020, the site once again became a mosque. Hagia Sophia was built in 537, with minarets added in the 15th–16th centuries when it became a mosque.

Why is the Hagia Sophia so important?

It served as a center of religious, political, and artistic life for the Byzantine world and has provided us with many useful scholarly insights into the period. It was also an important site of Muslim worship after Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 and designated the structure a mosque.