Hagia Sophia Cathedral (Hagia Sophia) is one of the main attractions and a visiting card of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). This is a miracle of VI century architecture! Hagia Sophia was built on the site of an ancient acropolis. Around 330, Constantine the Great ordered the construction of the temple. In 360, a cathedral in honor of the Divine Wisdom of God was built and consecrated by the son of Constantine the Great - Constantius. This cathedral stood for 75 years, and then was destroyed in a fire. Soon another cathedral was rebuilt, but in 532 it suffered the same fate. The current Hagia Sophia began to be built under Justinian I. Hagia Sophia was built in record time - in 5 years. The ceremonial consecration of Hagia Sophia took place in December 537. There was a lot of unusual in the construction of this cathedral. Lime was made on barley water, oil was added to the cement. A new material was invented for the upper plank of the throne: onyx, topaz, pearls, amethysts, sapphires, rubies were thrown into the melted mass of gold - all the most expensive. The temple, intended for the appearance of the emperor to the masses, was to create the impression of dazzling grandeur. The height of St. Sophia Cathedral is 55.6 meters, the diameter of the dome is 31 meters. The walls of the temple are faced with huge slabs of pink, green, dark gray and white marble of different colors. The emperor was about to cover the walls from top to bottom with gold, but then changed his mind. The sages did not advise tempting future rulers who, in the pursuit of gold, would certainly destroy the temple. The construction of the temple, its size and decoration made a lasting impression on his contemporaries, so it is not surprising that legends and myths immediately began to take shape around all this. It was said that the plan of the building was handed over to Emperor Justinian in a dream by an angel. When disputes arose between the emperor and architects, for example, how many windows to make over the main altar, an angel supposedly appeared in a dream again and ordered three windows to be made in honor of the Holy Trinity. For over a thousand years, St. Sophia Cathedral remained the largest temple in the Christian world until the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. According to Russian legends, Prince Vladimir the Red Sun sent his ambassadors to the Hagia Sophia, who should have told him if the Christian religion is good. Having been in the Temple, they informed Prince Vladimir that they had visited not just in a magnificent temple, but in paradise. They say that this is what determined the choice of Vladimir and his decision to baptize Russia. Together with baptism, Russia adopted a great culture. It happened in the 10th century. In 1453, Constantinople was captured by the Turks. The Turkish Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror entered the city and was struck by the beauty and huge size of Hagia Sophia. He ordered not to destroy the Orthodox church, but to turn it into a mosque. The bells, the altar, the iconostasis and other sacred relics were taken out, and the mosaic and frescoes depicting the faces of the saints were carefully painted over. Instead, St. Sophia Cathedral found a mihrab, a minbar, four minarets and became the Muslim mosque of Hagia Sophia. The name Hagia Sophia is one of 3 epithets addressed to God. These three epithets are defined as follows: Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), Hagia Irena (Holy Complacency) and Ayia Dynamis (Holy Power). In 1935, by order of the President of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum. The Hagia Sophia Museum is a huge magnificent building combining elements of the Orthodox and Muslim culture. The main entrance is the imperial gate, according to legend, made of the remnants of Noah's ark. The huge dome symbolizes the heavenly entrance. Under the dome you can see the image of the Mother of God and Jesus Christ. Huge shields with the names of Allah, Muhamed, his grandchildren and the first caliphs look rather unusual next to them. Restorers opened part of the mosaics. Above the doors at the entrance to the temple, a mosaic with the figures of Mary with the baby Christ, Constantine the Great with a model of the city of Constantinople and Justinian with a model of Hagia Sophia is well preserved. There is a small niche on the right side of the cathedral. If you put your ear to the wall, you can hear a slight noise. The Christians, the inhabitants of Istanbul, laid down the legend according to which on the day of the assault of Constantinople by Turkish troops in 1453, 10,000 believers were hiding in the church. When the Turks broke into the temple, the priest, continuing to read a prayer and holding a bowl with holy gifts, went to the side nave. Already the swords were ready to hit him, when suddenly the wall opened, and he disappeared into it. According to legend, the priest in his hiding place continues to read a prayer. When Hagia Sophia again becomes Christian, he will return to the altar to continue the service. The mosque is interesting with 107 columns of colored marble, collected from the entire Byzantine Empire, a unique library and a “cold window”, where even in the hottest weather a cool breeze blows. In one of the columns there is a recess framed in copper. It is believed that if you insert your thumb there and manage to rotate it 360 degrees, your wish will come true. In the history of world architecture, Hagia Sophia is one of the most important and most beautiful buildings. In 1985, St. Sophia Cathedral, among other monuments of the historical center of Istanbul, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.