Hagia Sophia (disambiguation)

Hagia Sophia can refer to:

• The Church of the Holy Wisdom, variously known as Hagia Sophia (Άγια Σοφία) in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin or Ayasofya in Turkish, a former Christian church, now a museum, in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople.
• The largest Byzantine church of Thessaloniki in Greece. It was built in the 8th century and was converted to a mosque by the Turks. Since 1913 it has been used as a Christian church again. In addition to its interesting Byzantine architecture and decoration, the temple is known for its painting of Analipsis (Ascension) that is considered the most important monumental fresco of the 9th century. Recently many books and ancient scripts along with paintings from the 9th century were found in a storeroom of the church.
• The 13-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. It had been built from 1037 to 1054 by Yaroslav the Wise, son of St Vladimir the Great. In the 17th century, the building was rebuilt in Ukrainian baroque style. Due its internal decoration of frescoes and mosaics, it is still considered one of the most representative buildings of the 11th century.
• A 5-domed cathedral in Novgorod the Great built by the prince Vladimir around 1044. Unlike its Kievan namesake, the church survived virtually unchanged in exterior. Fresco inscriptions are in Greek, bronze doors were taken from the Swedish capital Uppsala in the 12th century, but the grandeur of white stone masses and helmeted cupolas is unmistakably Russian.
• A Christian church in Polotsk consecrated in 1066, totally rebuilt in the 18th century but still considered a motherchurch of Belarus.
• A Christian church in Monemvassia, a medieval fortress located in the Peloponnese, Greece.
• A Christian church in Sophia in Bulgaria, which gave its name to the city.
• A Christian church in Trabzon, Turkey.
• A former Christian church in Nicosia, Cyprus, which is now a mosque.