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LEOne building, two religions
When it was first built in Constantinople, Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian church in the world and the heart of Eastern Orthodoxy. After the Ottoman conquest it became a mosque, and for the past few decades it has been a museum open to all.
Today it has been reopened as an active mosque. Visitors are only allowed on the second floor, while the main prayer hall downstairs is reserved for Muslims. Some of the Christian mosaics that are visible from the prayer area have been covered, but others can still be seen from the upper level. Even from above you can feel the layers of history. Christian mosaics shimmer beside Islamic calligraphy, telling the story of two empires and two faiths in one sacred space.
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