Hagia Spohia

We toured Hagia Sophia and sprung for the guide. It was really interesting. It was the oldest and most ornate church converted Mosque converted museum. Many of the marble pillars were taken from ornate palaces and temples in Greece and other parts of the world. The entire building was covered with gold mosaics. These were later plastered over when converted to a mosque which preserved them. Evidently it has been under restoration for the past 20 years. We were impressed with the long winding passages that led to the second floor. The emperor would come down via horseback. In the entry nave, there was a font from the original church on the site that had two serpents upon it. Evidently the symbols represented a shedding of old and rebirth into the Christian faith. The site was hit by several earth quakes but was not shaken. However, more supports were added changing the shape of the original church. In the back, some of the sultans have been buried. I found this fact to be interesting.