Hagia Sophia: a multisensory and transcendent experience“Hagia Sophia and Multisensory Aesthetics”, written by Bissera Pentcheva, explored how design elements of the interiors of Hagia Sophia, namely the golden accents and marble paired with books, reflect and represent the language and literature of the time. The mention of traditional songs and the consumption of incense is also an important aspect when considering the total sensorial aesthetic experience of which the faithful were part. Emphasis is placed on the combination of these active sensory details because, together, they create an environment based on auditory architecture that enriches the practice of worship and reinforces Byzantine ideals and innovations in religious practice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before we tackle the articles on in-depth analysis of the marble and gold interiors of Hagia Sophia, I would like to talk about the historical setting and context of the structure. The construction of Hagia Sophia was one of Justinian's enormous building projects, and probably his best known and most popular, representing a revival of the church after it was destroyed during the Nika Revolts of 532 AD. Justinian's emphasis on rebuilding the church represented also his effort to make this the church that would revive all the other churches of Constantinople. Not only do we see very clear connections to this in the architectural and design choices of Hagia Sophia, but we see it very clearly in the literature of the time. Pentcheva often refers to the ekphratic poem “Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae” by Paul the Silentiary which describes the Hagia Sophia experience in a new and flowery literary style, reflecting not only the direct experiences of being at Hagia Sophia, but also giving historians clues as to how the cultural style of all Byzantine art forms are connected. Pentcheva shows her readers the shared cultural style of Byzantine literature and art by focusing primarily on the use of the root marmar- in the Greek language. Uses of the root are scattered throughout Paul's poetry, forming words like marmaron, marmarygma, and marmairo to describe Hagia Sophia with vivid imagery. Marmaron, meaning marble, is used most often for its importance in the structure and shimmering quality of Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia marble is book-matched so that it has a wavy appearance that influences the eye by creating an animated surface when light shines from the base of the dome which houses 40 windows, although the marble has a cloudy gray coloring. This gray marble comes from the island of Proconnesus in the Sea of ​​Marmara, near Constantinople, a strong influence on why it was chosen as the marble to be used in the decoration and construction of Hagia Sophia. Although much of the structure is made of gray marble, there are four bands of green marble in the floor which are said to represent the four rivers of paradise (Pentcheva: 96). With this deduction, we can draw parallels between the use of marmaron, marmarygma, and marmairo. First we will focus on the use of marmairo, or coruscating water. Marmairo draws directly on the inference of the four bands of green marble representing the river of paradise due to their wavy, book-matched appearance. Paul the Silentiary uses images such as the Bosphorus, the strait connecting the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Black Sea, which support the idea that marble has a water-like quality. Mainly, marmairo is used as a descriptor that tells how the sun reflects on the marble and animates it, making it move like water in the wind under the sun.Animation is key when using marmarygma, meaning to shimmer, in Paul's poem because it reflects, once again, on the quality of marble when exposed to sunlight. The movement of the marble illuminated by the sun is also strengthened by the gold shining in the monumental dome and mosaics of Hagia Sophia. “'The ceiling contains tiles inlaid with gold, the pouring of which in glittering rays of gold bounces irresistibly off the faces of the faithful.'” (Paul, Pentcheva: 98). This example that Pentcheva refers to from Paul's ekphratic is important because it shows that gold and marble are a united sensory experience. At dawn, when the sun's rays open the windows of the dome and make the faces of golden mosaics seem as if they were truly alive and among the faithful. The sparkle “marks the amination of matter”. (Pentcheva: 100) Animation is not only important when considering marmar, in the sense of creating images of Hagia Sophia, but it is important when talking about charis, which means beauty and grace in Greek, which directly refers to the Spirit Saint and adoration in Hagia Sophia. Paul the Silentiary uses the image of the ambo, a raised support formally used for reading the Gospel, as a connector between marmar- and charis because the sea, probably the Sea of ​​Marmara, pushes towards an island as the congregation pushes towards the ambo (Pentcheva: 99). This use of literature to describe art is very important when considering the combination of ritual and cult memory to create a form of imagery that is stronger for readers because it helps intertwine the inanimate with the animate. Imagery was key in Paul's poetry because he could use excessive metaphors to refer to the excessive use of marble and gold within Hagia Sophia. Along with the uses of gold and related metaphors, Paul creates images of darkness to juxtapose the glittering quality of gold with the darkness of onyx which perhaps mirrors the Devil and influences of hell that are absent within Hagia Sophia. As the darkness is chased away by the light that floods the interior of Hagia Sophia, we can further deduce the purpose of Hagia Sophia as a soul-purifying experience. Cleansing of the soul plays an important role in religious experience due to the nature of sin and the negative connotations that have been attached to undesirable aspects of character, human nature, and death. There are many examples of purification deeply rooted in the structure of Hagia Sophia. In particular, the halo of the windows at the base of the dome and the burning of incense. Architecturally, the dome of Hagia Sophia appears to be suspended from the sky due to the ring of halo-shaped windows that embellish the base of the dome. The dome creates a “special mystical quality of light flooding the interior” (Gardner, Paul: 262) that dominates the interior of Hagia Sophia and causes all the animation in the decor. With the excess of purifying light, the interior of the church was flooded with the scent of burning incense, particularly spikenard oil, the scent referred to in Gregory of Nyssa's "Song of Songs" which directly refers to the Holy Spirit (Caseau: 84) . Not only was nard oil burned throughout the church, but other perfumes such as resin, myrrh, and kyphi were also burned at specific times of the day. Kyphi, in particular, meant cleansing because it was said to bring relief and protection to those surrounded by the scent. Incense was also used to purify the church after a funeral service because it would carry away the bad smell of death and further put a smokescreen between life and the afterlife. When it comes to connections between worshipers and the Holy Spirit, nothing is more vital than acoustics.