Holy Cathedral Church of Hagia Sophia

The Holy Cathedral Church of Hagia Sophia is a massive, cubic structure defined by a large, central dome that sits above a square, cruciform nave. Constructed in the eighth century on the site of a much older third-century basilica, the church mimics the grand design of its famous namesake in Constantinople. Its exterior features a central drum pierced by twelve arched windows, rising above a landscape that was once densely packed with medieval buildings but now stands as a freestanding monument in the center of a city block.