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Glite Dictionary
Hagia Sofia

Hagia Sofia

6.7
A 6th-century building in Istanbul first used as a church and later as a mosque and a museum
  • proper noun
  • /ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiə/
translation icon : Santa Sofía
  • The emperor Basil II's Armenian architect, Trdat, made major repairs, and Hagia Sophia was reopened in 996.
  • Hagia Sofia Museum
  • the sixth-century Hagia Sofia

Examples

  • Restoration of the dome mosaics is only one step in preserving Hagia Sophia.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Because of Hagia Sophia's long and complex history, no conservation or restoration project is simple.

    Academic text (2003)

  • What are the prospects for Hagia Sophia as it approaches its first century as a museum open to all?

    Academic text (2003)

  • "There should be a special team only for the conservation of Hagia Sophia," says Ozil.

    Academic text (2003)

  • But this is by no means a doomsday scenario for the city or Hagia Sophia.

    Academic text (2003)

  • And the work at Hagia Sophia must be placed in the larger context of restoration in Istanbul.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The repairs took two-thirds the time of the original construction, but finally, on December 24, 563, Hagia Sophia was reconsecrated.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The Fossati Brothers' restoration of the interior of Hagia Sophia from 1847 to 1849 was a marvel in terms of speed.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Fourteen centuries after Hagia Sophia was built, Mainstone headed a UNESCO mission inspecting the condition of the church and its mosaics.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The stunning architecture of Hagia Sofia has made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Synonyms

Hagia Sophia
vsHagia Sofia
7.5

A large old building in Istanbul that was a church, then a mosque, and now a museum

is the same in meaning but follows a different spelling convention
Santa Sophia
vsHagia Sofia
7.2

A large historic building in Istanbul that was a church, then a mosque, and now a museum

is the same in meaning but differs only in naming or language form
Santa Sofia
vsHagia Sofia
6.3

A large old building in Istanbul that was a church, later a mosque, and now a museum

is the same in meaning but varies in name or regional spelling

Surface Forms

Hagia Sofia main

Morphology

Hagia + Sofia

Hagia Sofia is a language-specific proper name whose elements are not English lexical items in the provided data; even if a learner knew the literal roots (e.g. 'holy' + 'wisdom'), that would at best suggest a religious or dedicatory phrase but would not allow a B1 learner to infer the specific referent (a 6th-century Byzantine church/museum in Istanbul) or its historical status. Proper names like this are therefore non-compositional for learners and function idiomatically, making the expression opaque.

Etymology

Hagia Sofia gets its name from the Greek words Hagia and Sofia, which mean 'Holy Wisdom'. Built as a huge church in the 6th century, then a mosque, and later a museum, it now shows the city's layers of history and different religions.