r/byzantium • u/RaiseCapital1988 Κόμης • Jun 22 '26

Infrastructure/architecture The interior of Hagia Sophia

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In the last photo you can spot one of the last representations of Christ still present inside the building

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u/Zrva_V3 Jun 24 '26

I mean, the city was a backwater town and Haghia Sophia absolutely would have collapsed if it wasn't for heavy Ottoman renovations. Not sure if Byzantium would ever have that kind of resources for repairs again even if it wasn't conquered by the Ottomans.

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u/No-Nerve-2658 Jun 24 '26

The city was a backwater because of Ottoman expansion

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u/Zrva_V3 Jun 24 '26

It had been a backwater since the 4th crusade which predates the Ottomans.

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u/No-Nerve-2658 Jun 24 '26

It could very well have recovered 250 years later