Hagia Sophia Research Paper

Hagia Sophia was built as an example of the great vision and expectations Justinian and Theodora had. Hagia Sophia was so big that it is used as a landmark for sailors. Hagia Sophia may be large in size but the exterior has little decoration but allows us to see how solid and sturdy this building is. The focus of this building is around the central dome. The central dome is surrounded by half domes on each side and then more half domes. These domes and vast open spaces are part of what makes this church a longitudinal basilica. St. Mark's was built as a result of the Second Golden Age. This church is also quite large and sits on a vast piazza. While Hagia Sophia is simple on the outside, St. Mark's is very ornate and full of flash. There …show more content…
Hagia Sophia is one of the first to have this progressive support system. The interior of Hagia Sophia is open, allowing light to fill the space. Fourty windows at the base of the dome allow the natural light to come into the church and give it a glow. This glow also comes from the light hitting the mosaics and marble elements in the church. The interior of the church makes up for the simple exterior. The red and green columns are surrounded by polished marble slabs on the lower walls. The lower walls are under elaborate and beautiful mosaics on the upper walls. The interior of St. Mark's is stunning. While Hagia Sophia is open and filled with light, St. Mark's is dark with most of its light coming from candles and the windows that are located at the base of the domes. This small amount of light does not stop the place from shinning and sparkling. St. Mark's also has mosaics on it's walls, but these mosaics are made from gold tesserae. This ensures a sparkle with or without lighting. There are mosaics covering the walls from top to bottom. Most of these mosaics are biblical telling us the story of Genesis, Adam and Eve, and the creation of Eve to name a