What impression did Hagia Sophia make on inhabitants of Constantinople?

Answer using at least two texts from the 6 th or later centuries.

Worldly renowned for its ineffable beauty and architectural triumph, the Hagia
Sophia symbolises the former glory and splendour of the ancient city of
Constantinople and subsequently the Byzantine Empire. Constructed originally
in the form of a basilica in the 4 th century by Constantius II and later rebuild by
Theodosius II in the 5th century - the cathedral gained its momentous reputation
under the helm of architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus,
commissioned by Justinian I to rebuild and redesign after the events of the Nika
riots of A.D 532. Having suffered many technical and structural difficulties,
campaigns of crusaders and the eventual collapse of the Byzantine Empire, the
church was converted into a mosque by Ottoman conqueror Sultan Mehmed II in
1453, later secularised and turned into a museum in the 1940s. This essay will
attempt to investigate the impression Hagia Sophia had on the inhabitants of
Constantinople. First, I shall begin by exploring texts from Byzantine sources
that depict the great church in its entirety, moving on to its implications and the
evidence to support the claims made. Then, I shall compare it to other
appropriate evidence that suggests contrary to the claims.
The account given by the 6th century historian Procopius of Caesarea elaborates
on both the architectural features of the church and its aesthetic beauty; from
its enormous spherical domesuspended from heaven by [a] golden chain to
its

astonishing

height

rising

to

the

very

heavens[overtopping]

the

neighbouring buildings like a ship anchored among them, causing the church to
be a sight stupendous to those who see it and altogether incredible to those
who hear it' (Mango, 1972, pp 72-75). The account is written in an encomium
style; praising the ingenuity of Justinian, Procopius illustrates how the Emperor
was divinely guided by God since he is not an engineer (Mango, 1972, p.77)
and yet was able to give credible advice in the suspending of the arch and
removing the extremities of the lroi archway underlying the masonry. By using
a theological semantic field in conjunction with hyperbolic metaphors, Procopius
attempts to recount to the reader the vast greatness of the church; the
kaleidoscope of colours, the ethereal light that projected from the spherical
dome, worthy of housing the presence of God. This in effect uplifts the visitors
mind and soul towards God, thinking that He cannot be far away, but must love
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to dwell in this place which He himself has chosen (Mango, 1972, p.76). This
feeling of religious awe felt by the visitor is further reinforced by the adornment
of altars for example, combining the beauty with ostentation (Mango, 1972,
p.76). Procopius metaphorically describes the vast mixture of colours by
comparing it to coming across a meadow in full blossom, as if deliberately
fashioned by the influence of God himself. The account of the historian
demonstrates how the overwhelming factors of the church, in conjunction with
the

metaphysical

comprehend

yet

elements
fully

renders

appreciated

the
the

visitor

speechless,

craftsmanship.

The

unable

to

architectural

achievement accomplished by Anthemius and Isidore was such that such a

church had not existed before. Procopius uses the word mchanikos in
describing the chief architect of Hagia Sophia, a word which implies more than
just a mechanic. Rather, he seems to have in mind a man academically
trained in areas that remove him from the mere architectus[possessing] a
body of theoretical knowledge that enables him tocreate something new and
beautiful as a result of his training in theoretical mechanics (Cutler, 1966, p.27).
The revolutionary combination of aesthetics and mathematics illustrates the
innovative ingenuity of the church, making it a focal point of the Empire and a
source of pride for the Byzantine people.
Contrary to Procopius description of the church and its consequent effect on the
viewer, Paul the Silentiary delivered a poetic Ekphrasis at the second
consecration of the Hagia Sophia in 563. Present at the reading was Justinian,
the patriarch and their entourages, such as the Emperors court members, high
officials etcetera. This is made evident by the stage directions in the
manuscripts, as well as the description of the movement of those present.
Focusing on the account itself, Pauls description of the church was unique in its
formulation and composition, the reputation of which was such that Historian
Agathias recommended that people who had not seen Hagia Sophia should
read Paul the Silentiary's description, for this would enable them to visualise the
church (Macrides, 1988, p.49) as if they were walking in the church itself and
admiring every detail of it. Unlike Procopius, Pauls Ekphrasis was composed
using a hexameter and incorporating a secular Homeric style, in terms of
language and formulae structure; he describes every minute detail, from the
aesthetics to the actual building process. Paul Begins with two prologues in
iambic trimesters that are panegyric in style, the first in praise of Justinian and
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the second a personal apology to the audience. Although those of an important

reputation were only present at the Ekphrasis of Paul, it can be argued that his
poignant poetry illustrates that Hagia Sophia symbolised the pride of the people
and evoked the guidance and affection of God. Because of its panegyric fashion,
inflammatory language with a religious semantic is frequently used to
demonstrate the ineffable beauty and architectural design of the church. For
example, the melodic hymns sung by the choirs are pleasing to the ears of
Christ, or the columns upon which has [been] carved the host of winged angels
bowing down their necks, for they are unable to gaze upon the glory of God
(Mango, 1972, pp.82-83). In the introduction of the poem, Paul compares to the
cosmos, contending that while the observer of nature soon gets bored with
looking at the heavens and wants a change of scene, the visitor to the church
never tires of twisting his neck this way and that in order to take it all in
(Macrides, 1988, p.57). This comparison effectively contributes to one of the
focal points of the church; that one cannot grow tired or bored of its ineffable
beauty.
Both Procopius and Pauls descriptions of Hagia Sophia and its resonating affect
on the viewer presents the notion that Hagia Sophia made an impression of awe
and wonder on the people of Constantinople. However, in order to identify
whether that impression was constant throughout the centuries, accounts given
in later centuries must be examined as to whether or not the impression was as
indescribable as it once previously. In the 12 th century, Michael, a protecdicus of
the church of Thessalonica gave an Ekphrasis 'that is, for the most part, clear
and intelligible as to its substance, although the language is extremely flowery
and the imagery often somewhat strained' (Mango & Parker, 1960, p.234).
Reminiscent

of

Homeric

style,

Michael's

Ekphrasis

focuses

on

the

archaeological achievements of the church and also gives a symbolic

interpretation of the church; Byzantine historian Cyril Mango contends that of
the three kinds of symbolism of the church, Michael interestingly yet seldom
found is focused on the cosmic symbolism. He describes the church by
metaphorically envisaging its alignment to two spheres, one representing the
visible heaven and the other the invisible heaven.
By adding the eastern and western semi domes to the main dome of St. Sophia,
he obtains a sphere, the outer or invisible heaven. Then he adds up the semi
domes of the four exedras and obtains a smaller sphere....regarded as being
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contained within the larger one. The smaller sphere is the visible heaven. The
Four arches supporting the main dome represent the four elements; they are
curved and joined to one another' (Mango, 1960, p.241)
By focusing on the cosmological symbolism of the church, Michael is effectively
outlining that the architectural designs have a metaphysical implication that not
only

augments

the

religious

aura

of

the

church

but

illustrates

that

metaphorically the church itself represents the visible heaven, a means by

which one could attain the invisible heaven. Ultimately, by attributing the
church as a means by which one could attain heaven and their souls deified, it
would act as a symbol of hope for the inhabitants of Constantinople 'at a time
when 'the gates of death (that is, the mouths of heretics) grape against it'
(Mango, 1960, p.236.). With the impending collapse of the Byzantine Empire,
the people would indeed look for something which acts as the beacon of
optimism and divine protection; Hagia Sophia.
A recent study by Scholar Pentcheva gives a different perspective on the
question at hand; the people of Constantinople were mesmerised by the church
because of the psychological impact of the appearance of gold and marble,
optical and acoustic reflections. By using exploding balloons and modern digital
technology, Pentcheva was able to 'measure the reverberation time of the
interior and to generate with its aid computer auralisations of Byzantine chant'
(Pentcheva, 2011, p.93). The aesthetic phenomenology of the church is the
result of a persons sensual and religious experience, thoroughly impacting their
imagination. For example, 'the shimmering surfaces of marble and gold
becomes

animate

in

the

shifting

natural

light,

and

these

transient

manifestations trigger the spectator's memory and imagine to conjure up

images' (Pentcheva, 2011, p.93). The sheer size of the church that creates
reverberant acoustic sounds through the chanting of hymns in conjunction with
the assortment of colours from the treasures of the church effectively
astonishes and baffles the visitor. This gives us an idea of how the church was
not only designed thus but created a greater sense of religious awe; the
conduction of liturgies would be intensified by the reverberant chanting, light
from the spherical dome and the many optical reflections. This is arguably
shown in Pauls account of the church; for example, the fact that he frequently
speaks in a dualistic fashion reflects the chaining state of the colours and
sounds in the church. Paul mentions the mixture of ereuthos, ruddy, with
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ochros, sullen or lifeless; 'Similarly, wax is malleable and polymorphic

[when] washed in the mountain stream, the wax displays the sheen of silver,
while retaining specks of gold...a similar contrast and opposition are offered by
the actual marble in Hagia Sophia' (Pentcheva, 2011, p.96). The language
choice used by Paul reflects the architecture itself; he tries to capture
evanescence, 'a surface that is translucent and reflective at the same time,
shimmering

and

polychromatic'(Pentcheva,

2011,

p.96).

This

ultimately

demonstrates how the impression of visitors and subsequently the people of

Constantinople was such that it would leave the mind in wanting, the memories
of seeing the church still vivid.
Conversely, it can be argued that the accounts given by both Procopius and Paul
contain inflammatory language to the extent that it does not look at Hagia
Sophia objectively. Scholar Mary Whitby argues that 'Pauls' version of events is
clearly highly selective and biased' (Whitby, 1985, p.221) in order to
appropriately steer the direction of his work to praise Justinian. For example,
Paul dramatises 'the climactic moment of the conspiracy...in order to set off
Justinian's foreknowledge, serenity and faith in God, while the theme of the
Emperor's clemency is elaborated out of all proportion' (Whitby, 1985, p.221).
Paul essentially omits key information so that the Emperor is portrayed in a
greater light. Both Paul and Procopius accounts, through the use of
inflammatory language and hyperboles envisage the Emperor as Gods
vicegerent, both on a secular and religious scale. Therefore, the lack of
objectiveness in the accounts gives an unclear picture as to what the true
impression of the inhabitants was. However, it can be argued that Procopius
encomium account was not entirely hyperbolic. Byzantine historian Anthony
Cutler contends that he in fact shared some of the truly cubic comprehension of
the architects whom he praises (Cutler, 1966, p.28). This is made evident by
Procopius choice of words; for example, in describing the dome of Hagia Sophia
using particular words such as sphairion, or hmisphairion, he shows an
understanding and appreciates the various three-dimensional forms and of
inherent affinities between such architectural shapes (Cutler, 1966, p.28). In
regards to Paul, the frequent use of inflammatory language is an essential factor
of the panegyric and thus is acceptable to do so. Also, the accuracy of Paul's
account is affirmed by Agathias and modern scholars; his main initiative was to

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re-dedicate the Hagia Sophia after the tragic events of the Nika Riots and had
done so eloquently.
To conclude, the impression which Hagia Sophia made on the inhabitants of
Constantinople was indescribable; at the time, one would never be able to fully
understand and appreciate the creativity and ingenuity of architectural design.
The chants of the choir would echo throughout the church, encompassing the
visitor in a mantle of religious aura. The great kaleidoscope of colours, the
natural light from a floating dome, the intricate mosaics of the Virgin Mary,
Justinian and Constantine, all contribute to the awe inspiring feeling felt by the
visitor. Justinian, when admiring the church stood in silence [for a long time].
When he recovered his composure all he could murmur was: "Solomon, I have
surpassed thee"' (Browning, 2003, p.75).

2, 196 Words

Bibliography
Browning, R. 2003. Justinian and Theodora. New Jersey.
Macrides, R & Magdalino, P. (1988). The Architecture of Ekphrasis: Construction
and context of Paul the Silentiarys poem on Hagia Sophia, Byzantine and
Modern Greek Studies, 12, 47-82

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Mango, C & Parker, J. 1960. 'A Twelfth-Century Description of St. Sophia',

Dumbarton Papers, 14, 233-245
Mango, C. 1972. The Art of the Byzantine Empire 312-1453: Sources and
Documents. New Jersey.
Pentcheva, B. 2011. Hagia Sophia and the Multisensory Aesthetics, Gesta, 50,
93-11.
Whitby, M. 1985. The Occasion of Paul the Silentiarys Ekphrasis of S. Sophia,
The Classical Quarterly, 35, 215-228.

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