John the Baptist
by Stephen Stookey
Title
John the Baptist
Artist
Stephen Stookey
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Part of the Deesis Mosaic inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, John the Baptist is depicted paying homage to Jesus Christ at the Last Judgement. John's face bears the weight of humanity in the final moments of judgement.
Once the largest church in Christendom, the Hagia Sophia was transitioned to a mosque, and much later to a museum, following the Seljuk Turks conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The immense church, at the time of conquest the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the primary church in Eastern Christianity, was once filled with similar mosaics. Following the 1453 conversion, the Byzantine images were whitewashed over or removed. A few remnants were recovered and are now on display for visitors. The current structure dates back to Emperor Justinian, inaugurated in 537 CE. Installation of mosaics began under Justinian II (565-578). The Deesis Mosaic featured here dates to the 12th century.
The present Hagia Sophia replaced two previous churches on the site: the first completed in 360 under Emperor Constantine II & the second completed under Theodosius II in 415.
Image captured with a Canon 5D Mark III & Canon 70-200 f/4L IS USM lens.
FAA Featured Image:
Old and Used
7/29/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Google Gallery
7/29/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Pleasing the Eye
7/29/2014
FAA Featured Image:
AAA Images
7/29/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Orthodox Christian Beauty
7/30/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Art from the Past
7/30/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Beauty
7/30/2014
FAA Featured Image:
3 A Day Waiting Room ART
7/31/2014
FAA Featured Image:
The World We See
8/1/2014
FAA Featured Image:
Christian Theme Artwork Group
8/1/2014
Uploaded
July 29th, 2014
Embed
Share