The history of Saint Sophia is as extraordinary as the building : indeed, few monuments have undergone so many metamorphoses. After being pillaged by the Crusaders, it was transformed into a mosque after the Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453, as its four gigantic minarets testify and surprisingly, the new mosques of Istanbul have taken up this architectural feature. In 1935 it was desecrated and turned into a museum. Nevertheless, entering it is still a spiritual experience, whether it is to marvel at a golden fresco sparkling in the evening light, or to embrace Christian masterpieces and Islamic calligraphy with the same gaze. Like Istanbul the Magnificent, Saint Sophia stands at the crossroads of continents and beliefs.
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