Hagia Sophia

Istanbul/Turkey

Istanbul has hosted many civilizations and cultures in the ages before Christ. The first church, which was built during the Byzantine Empire, was opened for worship in 360 AD and was destroyed in a rebellion in 404. After the destruction of the first church, the Second Church, which was built by the Architect Ruffinos during the reign of Emperor Theodosios II and called Dromikos, was built on the foundations of the First Church. It was opened for worship in 415. This basilica-planned building was burned in 532 during the Nika riots. Emperor Justinian I (527-565) wanted to have a larger church built than the first two Hagia Sophia and had the famous architects of the era, Isidoros of Miletos and Anthemios of Tralles, built the Hagia Sophia, which has survived to the present day. Columns, capitals, marbles and coloured stones from the ancient city ruins of Anatolia were brought to Istanbul to be used in Hagia Sophia.

Project Year

2012

Parcel Area

26.682,00 m²

Project Category

Cultural Heritage

Designed Projects

Main Space Survey Of Hagia Sofia, Damage Analysis, Materıal Analysis, Intervention And Perıod Analysis Drawings And Reports, North Wall Survey, Intervention Drawings And Reports, Georadar Scan And Reports

Coordinated Projects

Main Space Survey Of Hagia Sofia, Damage Analysis, North Wall Survey, Materıal Analysis, Intervention And Perıod Analysis Drawings And Reports, Georadar Scan And Reports

Client

The Special Provincial Administration of Istanbul

This building, which was called Hagia Sophia during the reign of Justinian, is domed and has a basilical plan. There is a worship area in the middle and naves on both sides. With the help of four ramps, the upper floor is reached and there is an upper gallery. The worship area measures approximately 79.30x 69.50 m and 100x 70 m including the narthex.

The church began to be used as a mosque when the Ottoman Sultan Fatih conquered Istanbul. Thus, during the reign of Fatih (AD 1451-1481), the church underwent new regulations due to the change in belief. A wooden minaret, a cistern and a madrasah were built next to it. This important historical building, which became a museum after the republican period, is currently being used as a mosque.

Hagia Sophia, which has existed for centuries, has been maintained and repaired many times. As one of these maintenance and repair works, the current state of the floor and the northern interior of the building was documented and projected in this study, which was documented and designed by our company. Measurements of the project areas were taken with the laser scanning method with a 3D scanning device, and structural damages were determined with georadar works. In addition, the sketches prepared for the surfaces were checked on-site to prevent measurement errors that may arise from scanning.

uring the digital environment work phase, photographs were superimposed on the orthophoto images obtained from 3D scanning and the correct detection of surface deterioration was ensured by on-site controls. With all of this, the survey, damage analysis and material analysis projects of the project areas were prepared and reports were prepared under the consultancy of the scientific committee.

With the prepared damage analysis project, joint works and tests with various laboratories, the intervention methods needed for the maintenance and repair of Hagia Sophia were determined and projected. The intervention report was prepared under the consultancy of the scientific committee, together with the project design phase, where the approach was applied to the principles and techniques of international conservation-repair, avoiding the interventions that would harm the original structure.