Hagia Sophia

When the crusaders seized Constantinople in 1204 and subsequently established the Latin Empire, many Byzantine philanthropic institutions were destroyed. We know that the Western soldiers sacked the famous Sampson Xenon next to Hagia Sophia and that, as a result, it ceased to function as a medical hospital. After the restoration of the Greek state in 1261, the Sampson did not reopen its hospital wards. The ancient Panteleemon Xenon, founded in the sixth century, also lay in ruins when the emperor Michael VIII liberated Constantinople. It remained in this state until a monk named Niphon spent his private fortune to refurbish it in 1340. ... 

Rowland Mainstone, Hagia Sophia Architecture, Structure and Liturgy of Justinian s Great Church (1988), pp. 85-128. Cracks, repaired cracks, remedies and misalignments are all plotted out to show how the structure has lived and breathed. 

The old city was founded on seven hills surrounded by walls. The original city was established on the site between Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque). The area outside of the city wall was inhabited by people who moved into the city from other cities in Turkey in the second half of last century. 

Fig.1 Ancient mortar core and brick taken from Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki (seventh century AD)...

Seismic Analysis of Masonry Buildings Numerical Modeling, Fig. 2 The Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia (360 AD), Istanbul, Turkey... 

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