The largest cathedral in the world at the time was inaugurated by the Emperor Justinian I and the patriarch Eutychius in Constantinople on this day 1473 years ago. The first Great Church in Constantinople had been inaugurated in 360AD, but was burned down in riots early the following century. A second building was inaugurated in 415AD; it was destroyed by fire during the Nika Revolt in 532AD. A few days later, Emperor Justinian decided to build a new, larger, more majestic cathedral.
Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles were chosen as the architects. More than 10,000 builders were employed, and materials were brought from afar. The construction of the large dome required great technical ingenuity. The cathedral was named the Hagia Sophia, which means “holy wisdom”. The interior was decorated with elaborate marble and mosaics, and Emperor Justinian is said to have exclaimed, “Solomon, I have outdone you!”
The Hagia Sophia was partially destroyed by earthquakes in 558, 869 and 989AD, each time being rebuilt. The cathedral was ransacked by Crusaders in 1204AD and became a Roman Catholic cathedral until the Byzantines recaptured Constantinople in 1261AD. The building was repaired after further earthquake damage the following century, and in 1453 was transformed into a mosque when the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople. Since 1935 the building has been a museum.