The Church we know today as Hagia Sophia - or Divine Wisdom, its true name - was dedicated by the Emperor Justinian in 537AD. Through many visitudes Justinian's cathedral church of Constantunople still stands, its soring vaults and amazing dome testiments to the human spirit, the engineering talents of its builders and Divine inspiration.

Justinian's church was not the first on the site. The original was built by the Emperor Constantius in 360. This church burned in 404 and was rebuilt by the Emperor Theodosius II in 415. Just over 100 years later this second church was suffered the same fate as the first, being burned in the famous Nike riot of January 532.

The destruction of Hagia Sophia allowed Justinian to build a church like none other ever seen before. The scale of the building exceeded any domed building attempted before and tested the abilities of the Emperor's architects and emptied the state treasury. Hagia Sophia was - and is - justly celebrated for the luxuriousness and opulenence of it's decoration which included rare and costly marbles, acres of gold mosaic and rich liturgical furnishings.

Throughout the centuries Justinian's masterpiece has undergone many changes including earthquakes, sacking by foreign armies, conversion to Islamic useage and finally its conversion to a museum. The amazing survival of Hagia Sophia is due to the love and care of centuries of believers who have made it a home of prayer, history and art.

The Deesis mosaic was a later addition of the 12-13th centuries to the upper South Gallery of the Church. Above, looking west, we can see the mosaic on the left in the corner. During Byzantine times this area of the church was reserved for members of the Imperial family and the court who viewed the liturgy from this easternmost bay of the church. A wooden Staircase and passage way connected this part of the church directly to the Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors.

Originally the vaults of the gallery were covered with mosaics of Pentecost and Seraphim. This all came down in an earthquake in 1894.

Within this area are two other famous mosaics showing Emperors and Empresses with Christ and the Virgin.

The Image above shows the scale of the upper gallery. Here we see Thomas Whittemore and other conservators working on the vaults of the gallery in the 1930's. Thomas Whittemore can be seen at lower left wearing a dark hat looking up.

The plan above shows the location of the mosaic, which is open to the public today. It is a must-see for anyone visiting Istanbul. No photograph does the mosaic justice as the skilled and varied placement of the mosaic cubes creates a schimmer of light that cannot be captured by the camera. Many consider this mosaic among the greatest treasures of world art and culture. Among Christians it is often called the finest representation of Christ. It is a great tragedy that most of the mosaic has been lost but the survival of the beautiful faces of Christ, His Mother and St. John the Bapitist is nothing short of miraculous.