ABSTRACT
The lack of monumental figurative art in the original design of Hagia Sophia was not, as has previously been argued, a choice of compromise but very much a conscious aesthetic decision. The sumptuous decorative features transformed the interior of Hagia Sophia into a space of symbolic significance that acted upon the viewer by making the divine presence palpable. The prominence of the motif of the cross in the original mosaic decoration of Hagia Sophia created a distinctly Christian atmosphere. The connotation of the jewelled crosses found throughout the mosaic decoration of Hagia Sophia is twofold: they were strongly evocative of an eschatological interpretation signifying the ultimate Christian victory and true salvation, and they simultaneously embody the transfigured divine light. The comparison of the various sixth-century programmes of decoration reveals that the aesthetics of light and colour embodied in the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is manifest also in other late antique ecclesiastical contexts.
