The Mosque that was a Church

   When Constantine’s successor built the gorgeous domed Saint Sofia Church in the 400s, he built the largest domed structure in the world for over 1000 years.  The walls from this era still stand around Istanbul, and the architecture from this period lived on even with the Ottoman conquerors who would later add architectural masterpieces around the city.  The Church still stands today beside the gorgeous Blue Mosque.  Inside the Church there is a unique mixture of formerly white washed pictures of New Testament stories and Jesus and Muslim additions such as stylized script of the names of major Muslim prophets and leaders.