The Hagia Sophia was actually the third Church to be built on the site in 532; the first built in the fourth century was the Great Church of Constantinople that was dedicated to Constantinople in 330 The Great Church was then burnt down during civil unrest in 404. The Church was quickly rebuilt and by 415 the second Great Church opened its doors, this version was open for 117 years before being burned down in another riot.

The Third and final Church that is still standing today as a museum was completed on December 27, 537. The entire building was created with functionality in mind, and yet still creates a beautiful open atmosphere filled with light in the center of the church, under the dome.

Over the years the structure has been severely damaged by earthquakes, which destroyed the dome entirely in 558 and then the replacement in 563. The Hagia Sophia continued to be a church until 1453 when Sultan Mehmet turned it into a mosque. The Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum in 1931, that is still open today for the public.