Procopius: De Aedificis Procopios: On the Great Church, [hagia Sophia]

Procopius: De Aedificis Procopios: on the Great Church, [Hagia Sophia]

Emperor Justinian had an idea for a building project. He wanted to build the Church of the Holy Wisdom, also known as Hagia Sophia. He gathered workers from all the lands. Emperor Justinian chose two great, intelligent and skilled architects to build this project, Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus. Anthemius of Tralles arranged workers and prepared models for construction. The emperor had chosen the best of people to build his finest works.

The church was created extremely beautifully. It is more magnificent than all the buildings that surround it. Its size is tremendous and all of its dimensions were built in harmony and proportion. The church receives an abundance of sunlight.

Hagia Sophia is built from arches arranged in a quadratic figure with a circular building on top. The sunlight enters through this circular building. Hagia Sophia building gives off a sense of lightness and weightlessness. It looks as if this beautiful building was dropped from the heaven to the ground. The building seems as though all of its pieces came together as a whole in the sky. This building is so fascinating and detailed that it each of its part are looked at individually and not only as a whole.

The Hagia Sophia is covered in gold, silver and gems. This church is truly a beautiful sight. In the church there is sanctuary that contains forty pounds of silver. Only priest are allowed to enter this sanctuary.

Paul the Silentiary: The Magnificence of Hagia Sophia

Paul the Silentiary recited a song of praise about the magnificence of Hagia Sophia and its imagery of being the dome of heaven.

The dome on the top of the Hagia Sophia rests on the strong arches. This dome exceeds the heights of all its surrounding buildings. At the highest point of the dome a there