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The mosque of Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia) in Istanbul, rebuilt in its current form as the Cathedral of Constantinople by Justinian in 537, stands as one of the world's most majestic monuments of sacred architecture. This volume, the first modern record of both the exterior and the interior of the building, memorializes its mid-nineteenth-century restoration, and marks a cardinal moment in the representations of Hagia Sophia in the West and in the East. The reconstruction of the mosque, which at the time was remote and of little interest to Westerners, was seen as a sign of progress and westernization to its Ottoman caretakers. The book also serves as a vivid reminder of the importance of reproductive technology in the contextualization of ancient monuments: tinted lithography, a mature technology by the 1850s, is here put to brilliant use in representing the colors, geometrical complexities, and enormous scale of the building. Louis Haghe, the artist who reproduced Fossati’s drawings, was a pioneer of this illustrative art, and the design of the title-page is attributed to Owen Jones. Hagia Sophia has never been depicted more magnificently. This Octavo Edition features images from a copy in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and includes a commentary, a complete new English translation of the text, and full bibliographical details. 6 pages of description + lithographic title page and 25 plates (in two tints) by Louis Haghe after Fossati.
The original book imaged for this digital edition:
21 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (552 x 400 mm)
The original book imaged for this digital edition:
21 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (552 x 400 mm)
Solomon Surpassed
The present Hagia Sophia, or Holy Wisdom, was the fourth church built on the site. After the third fell victim to fire during mob violence in 532, the emperor Justinian determined to rebuild on a truly monumental scale. Precious stones of all descriptions were gathered from across the empire for its embellishment, including gigantic columns from the Temple of the Sun at Baalbek and the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. The most dramatic feature is the central dome, one hundred feet in diameter, supported far above the main piers of the building by two windowed arches and two half domes, so that it appears to hover over the nave. The vast building was completed fewer than six years after the conflagration and was consecrated around Christmas 537. On seeing the finished church, Justinian declared, “I have surpassed Solomon.” The structure has remained substantially unchanged (though not without some minor repairs) to the present day. When the city fell to Mehmed II the Conqueror in 1453, he commanded his troops to leave it unharmed and had it converted for use as a mosque. In subsequent years, however, maintenance was confined to emergency repairs and neglect exacted a heavy toll.
The present Hagia Sophia, or Holy Wisdom, was the fourth church built on the site. After the third fell victim to fire during mob violence in 532, the emperor Justinian determined to rebuild on a truly monumental scale. Precious stones of all descriptions were gathered from across the empire for its embellishment, including gigantic columns from the Temple of the Sun at Baalbek and the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. The most dramatic feature is the central dome, one hundred feet in diameter, supported far above the main piers of the building by two windowed arches and two half domes, so that it appears to hover over the nave. The vast building was completed fewer than six years after the conflagration and was consecrated around Christmas 537. On seeing the finished church, Justinian declared, “I have surpassed Solomon.” The structure has remained substantially unchanged (though not without some minor repairs) to the present day. When the city fell to Mehmed II the Conqueror in 1453, he commanded his troops to leave it unharmed and had it converted for use as a mosque. In subsequent years, however, maintenance was confined to emergency repairs and neglect exacted a heavy toll.
Revealing Restoration
Gaspard Fossati began the superficial restoration of the interior by repairing the damage done over time to the colored marble revetments that are laid over the brick walls, filling in missing marble with painted imitation. In the course of this work, he unexpectedly uncovered substantial fragments of ancient mosaics, which (since they depicted the human figure) had been plastered over in accordance with Islamic precept. When the first mosaics were uncovered and shown to the sultan, he was so impressed by them that he ordered all of them to be revealed, adding greatly to Fossati’s work. This was done hurriedly (indeed some mosaics were discovered just days before the July 13th ceremony), but ultimately, Fossati convinced the sultan that not all his subjects were as tolerant as he, and the figurative mosaics were again plastered over to prevent possible mutilation and to preserve them for a more liberal age. It was not until 1931 that the secular government of Turkey gave permission to the Byzantine Institute to uncover and restore the mosaics, work that continued into the late 1950s.
Gaspard Fossati began the superficial restoration of the interior by repairing the damage done over time to the colored marble revetments that are laid over the brick walls, filling in missing marble with painted imitation. In the course of this work, he unexpectedly uncovered substantial fragments of ancient mosaics, which (since they depicted the human figure) had been plastered over in accordance with Islamic precept. When the first mosaics were uncovered and shown to the sultan, he was so impressed by them that he ordered all of them to be revealed, adding greatly to Fossati’s work. This was done hurriedly (indeed some mosaics were discovered just days before the July 13th ceremony), but ultimately, Fossati convinced the sultan that not all his subjects were as tolerant as he, and the figurative mosaics were again plastered over to prevent possible mutilation and to preserve them for a more liberal age. It was not until 1931 that the secular government of Turkey gave permission to the Byzantine Institute to uncover and restore the mosaics, work that continued into the late 1950s.
Victorian Vogue
Fossati’s book inaugurated a new period in which Byzantine art and architecture were no longer objects of mere antiquarian curiosity, but of admiring imitation. Writing at almost exactly the same time as Fossati was restoring Hagia Sophia, John Ruskin would publish The Stones of Venice (1851–53), a work that did much to promote a sea-change in taste toward the elaborate ornament and extravagant use of color that are typical of Byzantine and Victorian art and architecture alike.
Fossati’s book inaugurated a new period in which Byzantine art and architecture were no longer objects of mere antiquarian curiosity, but of admiring imitation. Writing at almost exactly the same time as Fossati was restoring Hagia Sophia, John Ruskin would publish The Stones of Venice (1851–53), a work that did much to promote a sea-change in taste toward the elaborate ornament and extravagant use of color that are typical of Byzantine and Victorian art and architecture alike.
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