Describe the design and intended effect on congregants of Justinian’s Hagia Sophia

Question

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Answer 1

The design by architects Isidorus of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles consisted of a giant dome on a square base, with the thrust of the dome carried on four giant arches that make up each side of the square. Between these arches are triangular curving vault sections, called pendentives, that spring from the corners of the base. The dome that rises from these pendentives has around its base 40 windows, creating a circle of light that makes the dome appear to float, underscoring its symbolic function as the Dome of Heaven. The sheer height of the dome (184 feet) adds to this effect. To the east and west, beneath the arches, are half-domes, semicircular structures that extend the space, and these in turn are punctuated by yet smaller conch domes. Thus, a succession of curving spaces draws the visitor’s eyes both upward to the symbolically heavenly space of the dome and forward to the sanctuary apse, seat of the altar and the liturgy. The intricate and lacy carving on the lower levels lends the stonework an almost immaterial lightness. The domes above are believed to have been covered with mosaics, probably consisting in the sixth century of plain gold grounds ornamented with crosses. Light from the windows around the base of the dome and conch domes would have ricocheted around the gold-covered interior, creating a magical, even celestial light.