The Evolution of Hagia Sophia: The Exterior

Today marks a melancholic day within Christendom. Why is because today, in the year 1453,  was the fateful day when Constantinople would ultimately fall to the Ottoman empire, and with it came crashing down the historical Eastern Roman empire, thus effectively marking the end of the last significant cultural connection to classical world of Greece and Rome.

Central and symbolic to this transition was the conversion of Hagia Sophia from its original use as one of the great temples of Christianity to its contemporary use as an Ottoman and post-Ottoman era mosque. In other articles we have focused on the historical interior arrangement of Hagia Sophia as a Byzantine church, but today our focus is rather on the exterior. 

The most obvious additions to the exterior in this regard are, of course, the minarets -- which, if we are dispassionately fair and objective, do indeed add something further to the visual grandiosity of the building on the skyline of the city, much the way bell-towers and spires do for Western gothic churches.

What does not add to the building though are all the various additions that now crowd themselves in and around the structure. Most of these additions are practical in nature and serve the important purpose of buttressing the structure of Hagia Sophia to ensure that it remains standing -- one must recall he great age of this building and also the fact it was hastily, it was not designed by architects, and it is located in a region of the world that is prone to frequent earthquakes; in short, it has plenty working against it. Still, with all of these accretions, and some destruction, it can be very difficult for the modern observer to fully comprehend what the original exterior of Hagia Sophia looked like (and, indeed, some may not even realize that, not only for reason of the minarets, that this isn't the historical profile of the Hagia Sophia as it looked in its Eastern Roman keyday). 

So let's begin, for your reference, with a good view of what Hagia Sophia as looks like today:

Today's structure is a confusing hodge-podge of external buttresses, with only the the upper levels of the original Hagia Sophia still peering through them. It almost looks like a small city unto itself. Enough has been added, and enough lost, that many who have never been to Hagia Sophia may be easily confused as to where the front of the building actually is. Most photos of Hagia Sophia tend to show the building taken from a side perspective, whereas the actual front and main doors of Hagia Sophia are found here:

If we were to look at the main facade, it would look like this:

However, there is still something missing even here. Namely, in Byzantine times (and also partly into Ottoman times) Hagia Sophia also contained a forecourt (or atrium), much like you see in Roman basilicas like San Paolo fuori le mura or Old St. Peter's in Rome.  Today, that atrium is regrettably gone.

The layout of Hagia Sophia, including the forecourt/atrium

If you were to want to see a digital approximation of what Hagia Sophia would have looked like with this intact, here are some digital recreations:

(Source)

(This one is from another source -- we have slightly modified their colours to make it more recognizable. While less atmospheric, it gives a good perspective to help understand the overall layout of the building with a good view of the facade.)

One can see what a grand entrance this must have made to the church. One will also note that, in another classic Roman expression, a beautiful fountain was placed within the centre of the forecourt. 

(Source)

These digital reconstruction also give one a better sense of how the sides of the structure Hagia Sophia would have originally appeared prior to all the buttressing structures being added.  Here are some further views of how that would have historically looked:

A view from the north side

A view from the souths side. The small, octagonal building seen here in the bottom-centre is the baptistery. 

A more atmospheric view from the south side. (Source)

A view of Hagia Sophia on its Eastern side. (Source) 

If none of these views still seem realistic enough to help you envision things, we've digitally modified this actual photo of Hagia Sophia (taken, as it usually is, from the side) to approximately what the building might look like today had it been preserved in its original form. 

Finally, here is one final view that shows Hagia Sophia within its broader Constantinopolitan context. One can see here the great Roman circus as well as part of the palace complex:

(Source) 

In short, in its heyday Hagia Sophia was architecturally much simpler, with cleaner architectural lines than it has in our own time. This difference has not only impacted the exterior look and feel of Hagia Sophia but also the interior. As a result of the buttressing that was added, a number of the lower windows of Hagia Sophia were either covered over or partially obscured and this has resulted in some darkening within the interior.  

Paired the impressive and inviting forecourt, as well as the surrounding architecture of Eastern Roman Constantinople, one can better understand why this particular city was once the envy of much of the world, both Eastern and Western, Christian and non-Christian alike.

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