Annemaart Je suis comme je suis, je suis fait comme ca
make a list of 43 things i know very little about, and then learn at least 3 things about each of them (read all 9 entries…)
3. Aya Sofia
6 months ago
- The bricks for the Aya Sophia were specifically made for this building, probably in Rhodes. There is one brick which was laid upside down, which has Constantinople inscripted into it. Because of a special proces they were far lighter than normal bricks. This was needed to decrease the weight of the gigantic dome.
- Originally, there was a cylindrical ring of columns at the base of the dome. This made the dome far more instable, which was one of the reasons why the dome collapsed in 557. When it was rebuilt, this ring of columns was removed.
- Originally, the pretty mosaics were not present. There were only simple crosses in red paint. Reasons for this (besides there being such a rush to finish) was the images of religious figures were under debate at the time of construction. The mosaics were added later.
