Inspiring Vision: Hagia Sophia

"We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us." – Winston Churchill

If you haven't noticed yet, I am an architecture nerd! I have more books on architecture than anyone should. My interests span from classical to neo-modernism. One of my favorite buildings of the old world is the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an architectural beauty and an important monument of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. At one point, it served as a church, later a mosque, and now it is a museum. Built between 532 and 537, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) represents a brilliant moment in architecture and art, and it changed the history of architecture when it arrived on the scene. To me, it represents so many things. It represents perseverance, legacy, and evolution. Often, when there are changes in an environment due to conflict or new leadership, what was in existence is destroyed to make room for something new, but that is not always what is best.

Sometimes we can breathe new life into what already stands and create something meaningful.