ABSTRACT
This chapter defines the aesthetic data contained in the architecture and decoration of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople as well as the aesthetic responses to the ecclesiastical space expressed in sixth-century literary sources. The sacred space of Hagia Sophia was clearly meant to provide an environment that inspired the contemplation of the divine paradigms and to guide the faithful towards a spiritual reality and truth. The Byzantine concept of colour and the use of specific colours in the interior decoration of Hagia Sophia demonstrated that physiological aspects of vision indeed played a central role in the design of the mosaic and marble surfaces. The aesthetic appreciation of light in early Byzantium is evidenced across the entire range of art forms and material categories; it is the foundation in which literature, architecture, mosaic art and philosophy equally shared. This commonality is an expression of how the world around us was perceived and interpreted in late antiquity.
