Hagia Sopia

February 2, 2016 by nickmooney 4 Comments

Religious Sanctuary

Religious sanctuary or right of asylum has been around in some shape or another for thousands of years. Around 600 AD king Æthelberht of Kent made the first laws regarding sanctuary. The person seeking asylum had to confess their crimes, surrender any weapons and be placed under the supervision of the head of the church or abbey. They were then given 40 days to make a choice: surrender to the authorities and stand trial; or confess there guilt and be exiled from the land. There were also two levels of sanctuary the lower level type, which all churches received, the individual was restricted to the confines of the church. And then the churches that got licensed by the king could offer much larger areas, in some cases up to 1 mile around the church. This boundary was set up with 4 markers, usually made of stone creating a square area around the church. Because the Hagia Sophia was commissioned by Justinian I as a place of worship for Christianity, it fell under these laws. I am unsure of what parts of the Hagia Sophia were considered “safe zones”, but if the whole building was one, then the criminal would have a lot of space to roam around. These laws are not in effect anymore. The churches still offer sanctuary but it carries no legal recourse and is only respected if the officers want to. In the modern age you hear very little of religious sanctuary anymore, but you do hear about political refugees. This term is just a new spin on an old tradition. Instead of churches, it is countries giving the sanctuary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_asylum

Hagia Sophia

February 1, 2016 by elliejayo Leave a Comment

Islamic architecture plays a large part in a lot of our history that we do not realize. Using this type of architecture some of our first ever buildings were made, and still to this day are some of the strongest most well build pieces that we have had. Islamic architecture took a lot of hard work and time. Hagia Sophia influenced Islamic architecture because this basilica was made with tombs, arches, fountains which were elements in Islamic architecture. The Hagia Sophia was a model for this type of work. Although the Hagia Sophia is known for its divine Byzantine architecture, they all are very similar. From the domes in Hagia Sophia to the arches and fountains of Islamic architecture they all remember bits and pieces of one another and were often made of the same material because there were not a lot of different types of materials back in this day. Each type of architecture holds its own values and details. In Islamic architecture there is a very famous piece know as Dome of The Rocks located in Jerusalem. These Mosques had a large open court room, prayer wall, and many small open arches out from of them. Soon these mosques were built in many different styles and became the main structure of architecture style during this time. They took many years to build and once a few mosques were built everyone started doing it. Some incorporated the Islamic styles, and some Incorporated Sassanian architecture. Islamic architecture is also very well known for its use of gardens, and water. Paradise Garden is a very beautiful piece of Islamic architecture that shows the beauty of solid structure being fulfilled by water, which actually had many different religious meanings behind it.

Wikipedia. “Islamic Architecture.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2016.
Quatr. “History of Islamic Architecture.” N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2016.

Kyle Mitsunaga Hagia Sophia

January 31, 2016 by kylemitsunaga 2 Comments

Hagia Sophia in English is translated as “Shrine of The Holy of God” (hagiasophia.com). We learn from the Wikipedia page that Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is made up of brick and stands 180 feet tall, 240 feet wide, and stretching out to 269 feet in length. This amazing site used to be a church of God but is now turned into a museum. The topic that I picked was the Holy Trinity, the Holy Trinity is known to be the God of Christians in three different types; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now how does this relate to Hagia Sophia you may ask? Again referring to HagiaSophia.com “the monument was dedicated to the second person in the Holy Trinity in December 25^th”. The second person would be the Son of the Holy Trinity. Being a Christian myself I grew up knowing about the Holy Trinity and how it relates to the religion its self, but also what it can mean personally from one person to another. In this case Hagia Sophia was one of a couple other churches I believe during the old times that wasn’t knocked down. In other words Hagia Sophia is the only one still standing, regarding any maintenance done to the building it is still authentic and still get that religious vibe. The Holy Trinity is very important to Christians and Hagia Sophia being a Christian building they both relate to one another. This is a historical site that many Christians will go to experience, nevertheless a tourist spot that is worth your while seeing since it is the only one still standing.

“Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya).” Hagia Sophia. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

“Faith In Action Contest – The Holy Trinity.” Faith In Action Contest – The Holy Trinity.

Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

“Hagia Sophia.” Facts –. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.