Editing Byzantine architecture (section)

=== Hagia Sophia ===
The most famous example of Byzantine architecture is the [[Hagia Sophia]], and it has been described as "holding a unique position in the [[Christian world]]",<ref name="Heinle & Schlaich 1996">{{harvnb|Heinle|Schlaich|1996}}</ref> and as an architectural and [[cultural icon]] of [[Byzantine culture|Byzantine]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Culture|Eastern Orthodox civilization]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cameron|2009}}.</ref><ref name="M130">{{harvnb|Meyendorff|1982}}.</ref><ref name="Heinle & Schlaich 1996" /> The Hagia Sophia held the title of largest church in the world until the Ottoman Empire sieged the Byzantine capital. After the fall of Constantinople, the church was used by the Muslims for their religious services until 1931, when it was reopened as a museum in 1935. Translated from [[Greek language|Greek]], the name Hagia Sophia means "Holy Wisdom".<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/a-monumental-struggle-to-preserve-hagia-sophia-92038218/|title=A Monumental Struggle to Preserve Hagia Sophia|last=Bordewich|first=Fergus M.|work=Smithsonian|access-date=2018-11-22|language=en}}</ref>

==== Construction of Hagia Sophia ====
[[File:Hagia Sophia February 2013 02.jpg|thumb|Exterior view of Hagia Sophia]]
The construction is a combination of longitudinal and central structures. This church was a part of a larger complex of buildings created by Emperor [[Justinian I|Justinian]]. This style influenced the construction of several other buildings, such as [[St. Peter's Basilica]]. Hagia Sophia should have been built to withstand earthquakes, but since the construction of Hagia Sophia was rushed this technology was not implemented in the design, which is why the building has had to be repaired so many times due to damages from the earthquakes. The dome is the key feature of Hagia Sophia as the domed basilica is representative of Byzantine architecture. Both of the domes collapsed at different times throughout history due to earthquakes and had to be rebuilt.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2016-01-01|title=Disorders of the Building and its Remediation - Hagia Sophia, Turkey the Most the Byzantine Building|journal=Procedia Engineering|language=en|volume=161|pages=2259–2264|doi=10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.825|issn=1877-7058|last1=Plachý|first1=Jan|last2=Musílek|first2=Josef|last3=Podolka|first3=Luboš|last4=Karková|first4=Monika|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==== History of Hagia Sophia ====
The original construction of Hagia Sophia was possibly ordered by Constantine, but ultimately carried out by his son Constantius II in 360. Constantine's building of churches, specifically the Hagia Sophia, was considered an incredibly significant component in his shift of the centralization of power from Rome in the west to Constantinople in the east, and was considered the high-point of religious and political celebration. The construction of the final version of the Hagia Sophia, which still stands today, was overseen by Emperor Justinian. Between the rule of these two Emperors, Hagia Sophia was destroyed and rebuilt twice. Following its reconstruction, Hagia Sophia was considered the center of Orthodox Christianity for 900 years, until the fall of Constantinople to the [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]].<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Cohen |first=Andrew |date=2011 |title=Architecture in Religion: The History of the Hagia Sophia and Proposals For Returning It To Worship |type=MA thesis |publisher=Florida International University |url=https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2400/ |doi=10.25148/etd.FI14060867 |pages=2–3|doi-access=free }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Timeline
!Time
!Event
|-
|360
|Construction began
|-
|404
|Hagia Sophia was burned down in public riot.
|-
|415
|Construction begins on the next version of Hagia Sophia.
|-
|532
|The church is once again demolished during Nika riots.
|-
|537
|The final version of Hagia Sophia opens to Christian worship after five more years of construction.
|-
|558
|Earthquake - dome collapsed
|-
|859
|Fire damage
|-
|869
|Earthquake damage
|-
|989
|More earthquake damage
|-
|1317
|Large buttresses added
|-
|1453
|Constantinople fell to the Ottomans - converted into a mosque
|-
|1935
|Hagia Sophia is converted into a museum by secularists
|-
|2020
|Reverted to a mosque
|}