Hagia Sophia, Monemvasia

Hagia Sophia, Monemvasia

Monemvasia (Greek: Μονεμβασία) is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The island is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 metres above sea level, up to 300 m wide and 1 km long, the site of a powerful medieval fortress. The town walls and many Byzantine churches remain from the medieval period. The seat of the municipality is the town Molaoi.

The Church of Agia Sofia in Monemvasia, Peloponnese: The Church of Agia Sofia is among the oldest and most important Byzantine churches in Greece. It stands on the highest point of Monemvasia and gives great view to the Aegean Sea. This church was originally established in the 12th century by the Byzantine emperor Andronicus II and it was dedicated to Panagia Hodegetria, which means the Virgin who leads the way. In the Venetian times, it was converted into a Catholic Convent. After the Greek Independence, it was dedicated to the Wisdom of God and was named Agia Sofia. Time and wars caused serious damage to the church and it was restored in the middle 20th century by Eustathios Stikas Source: www.greeka.com

Hagia Sophia,Constantinople

Hagia Sophia,Constantinople (wide angle photo)

Theotokos Virgin with the Christ child mosaic of Hagia Sophia

Theotokos,Virgin with the Christ child, apse mosaic of Hagia Sophia,9th century, Constantinople

Marble Jar of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

Marble Jar brought from Pergamon to Hagia Sophia, Constantinople.Originally from the Hellenistic period

The Deesis Mosaic of Jesus, Hagia Sophia

The Deesis Mosaic of Jesus (c.1261). Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul (Konstantinopolis)

* Hagia Sophia (from the Greek Αγία Σοφία, pronounced "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture.