Haghia Sophia - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 38

THE CHURCH
The original entrance to Haghia Sophia was at its western end, where
the church was fronted by a great atrium, or arcaded courtyard, now
vanished. The present entrance to the precincts of Haghia Sophia
brings one in through the southern side of this atrium, now a garden-
courtyard filled with architectural fragments from archaeological
excavations in Istanbul. From the eastern side of this atrium five
doorways gave entrance to the exonarthex, or outer vestibule, and
from there five more doorways led to the inner vestibule, the narthex.
The central and largest door from the atrium to the exonarthex was
known as the Orea Porta, or the Beautiful Gate, and was reserved
for the use of the Emperor and his party. (Just to the left of this
portal one can see the excavated entryway to the so-called Theodosian
church, the predecessor of the present edifice, which is described in
the section on the Precincts of Haghia Sophia.) In addition to the
Orea Porta, the Emperor also used an entryway which led into the
southern end of the narthex, where the present public exit from the
edifice is located, passing through a long and narrow passageway
which in Byzantium was called the Vestibule of the Warriors. Here
according to the Book of Ceremonies, the manual of Byzantine court-
ritual, the Emperor removed his sword and crown before entering
the narthex, and here the troops of his bodyguard waited until
his return.
While passing through the vestibule we should notice the gold
mosaics glittering on the dark vault; these are part of the original
mosaic decoration from Justinian's church. The great dome, the
semidomes, the north and south tympana and the vaults of narthex,
aisles and gallery - a total area of more than four acres - were covered
with gold mosaics, which, according to the Silentiary, resembled the
midday sun in spring gilding the mountain heights. It is clear from
his description and that of Procopius that in Justinian's time there
were no figural mosaics in the church. A great deal of the Justinianic
mosaic still survives - in the vaults of the narthex and the side aisles,
as well as in the 13 ribs of the dome of Isidorus which have never
fallen. It consists of large areas of plain gold ground, adorned round
the edges of architectural forms with bands of geometrical or floral