<P> Hagia Sophia ( / ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiːə / ; from the Greek : Αγία Σοφία , pronounced ( aˈʝia soˈfia ) , `` Holy Wisdom '' ; Latin : Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia ; Turkish : Ayasofya ) was a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica ( church ) , later an imperial mosque , and is now a museum ( Ayasofya Müzesi ) in Istanbul , Turkey . From the date of its construction in 537 AD , and until 1453 , it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople , except between 1204 and 1261 , when it was converted by the Fourth Crusaders to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire . The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931 . It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935 . Famous in particular for its massive dome , it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have `` changed the history of architecture '' . It remained the world 's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years , until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520 . </P>
<P> Hagia Sophia ( / ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiːə / ; from the Greek : Αγία Σοφία , pronounced ( aˈʝia soˈfia ) , `` Holy Wisdom '' ; Latin : Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia ; Turkish : Ayasofya ) was a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica ( church ) , later an imperial mosque , and is now a museum ( Ayasofya Müzesi ) in Istanbul , Turkey . From the date of its construction in 537 AD , and until 1453 , it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople , except between 1204 and 1261 , when it was converted by the Fourth Crusaders to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire . The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931 . It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1 February 1935 . Famous in particular for its massive dome , it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have `` changed the history of architecture '' . It remained the world 's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years , until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520 . </P>
what kind of church is the hagia sophia
what kind of church is the hagia sophia
Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica
Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica