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Dev in love with Mediterranean history & archaeology Constantinopolitan ☧ 🇳🇱🇯🇵🇸🇪🇨🇾🇹🇷 instagram.com/bvrakvs itrw
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I've been reposting these images from my new account, please consider following on instagram.com/bvrakvs

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

Hagia Sophia’s inner facade blends marble, mosaics, and space. Entering through the Imperial Door, one sees veined marble, golden mosaics, and towering columns leading to the dome. Carved lintels recall its Roman past. More than beauty, it embodies Justinian’s will and the Romans’ enduring spirit.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Hagia Sophia’s inner facade blends marble, mosaics, and space. Entering through the Imperial Door, one sees veined marble, golden mosaics, and towering columns leading to the dome. Carved lintels recall its Roman past. More than beauty, it embodies Justinian’s will and the Romans’ enduring spirit.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

The monograms of 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙄 and 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖 in Hagia Sophia adorn column capitals, asserting their authority. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙣’s monogram includes IOUSTINIANOU, while 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖’s cruciform one bears THEODORAS. Titles BASILEOS and AUGUSTA further highlight their imperial status.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

I've been reposting these images from my new account, please consider following on instagram.com/bvrakvs

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

The Seraphim of Hagia Sophia—six-winged “burning ones”—guarded the dome for 700+ years. Their faces were covered in 1609, briefly revealed in the 1840s, then hidden until 2009. The eastern ones are 14th-century originals, while the western ones were poorly repainted after an 1894 earthquake.

submitted 11 days ago • 3 comments

Gabriel Mosaic in Hagia Sophia’s bema vault is a stunning Eastern Roman masterpiece. Depicting Gabriel frontally in dark royal garments with golden cape, the angel holds a staff & crystal globe, symbolizing divine wisdom. Despite damage over time, it still reflects the elegance of Roman mosaic art.

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

The Virgin and Child mosaic in Hagia Sophia (867 CE) is the oldest surviving mosaic in the church. Mary is enthroned, placing her hand on Christ’s shoulder while holding a handkerchief on His knee. Christ wears golden robes, seated on an emperor’s throne. It was restored by Basil I & Michael III.

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments

The Empress Zoe mosaic in Hagia Sophia (11th c.) shows Christ Pantocrator flanked by Zoe and her 3rd husband, Constantine IX. Initially featuring Zoe with Romanos III, it was altered after his death. Zoe, daughter of Constantine VIII, ruled with 3 husbands, known for beauty and political intrigue.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

The Komnenos Mosaic (12.c) in Hagia Sophia features the Theotokos with Christ Child. Emperor John II presents a donation, Empress Irene holds a scroll, & their son Alexios, crowned co-emperor at 13, stands beside his mother, highlighting their piety, imperial power, and contributions to the church.

submitted 16 days ago • 3 comments

The mosaic above Hagia Sophia’s southern entrance, dating to the late 10th c., shows the Virgin Mary on a jeweled throne with the Christ Child. Emperor Justinian I presents a model of the church, and Constantine the Great offers Constantinople. The piece symbolizes divine endorsement of the empire.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

The Deësis mosaic in Hagia Sophia shows Christ (IC XC) with the Virgin Mary (MP ΘY) and John the Baptist (Ο ΆΓΙΟΣ ΙΩ) as intercessors. Likely commissioned by Emperor Michael VIII after reclaiming Constantinople in 1261, it follows Eastern Roman tradition and stands 2.5 times life-size.

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

Destroyed Church of Koimesis, Nicaea—once the Monastery of Hyacinth, destroyed in 1922. A key Byzantine site, it housed the patriarch in 13th-c. exile and held imperial burials. The domed church had four piers, barrel vaults, a triple apse, marble revetment, and mosaics rebuilt in four phases.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

A gorgeous flag for the Mediterranean, very Cyprus-esque

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments