Item from civilization by Firaxis Games / 2K
The cathedral of divine wisdom in Constantinople, whose massive dome seemed to float on rays of light and whose beauty left ambassadors speechless for centuries.
Theodora and Justinian built the Hagia Sophia in five years and eleven months — an engineering feat so improbable that the architects reportedly had divine assistance, according to church accounts. The building solved structural problems that had never been solved before: how to place a round dome on a square base without the dome collapsing. The result is a building that defines Byzantine civilization the way the Parthenon defines Greece. Every foreign ambassador who visits Constantinople is brought here first, before any negotiation. After they have seen the Hagia Sophia, Theodora finds them much more willing to discuss favorable trade terms.
A structure of such overwhelming scale and grace that visitors instinctively go silent when they enter. The dome rises above a ring of forty windows, letting in such a flood of light that it appears to float, unsupported. The walls are covered in gold mosaic that depicts the full hierarchy of heaven. The smell of incense has soaked into the stone over centuries.
Also known as: Hagia Sophia, Church of Holy Wisdom, Ayasofya, The Great Church