Lauren

**__The Apse Mosaic __** I selected the Apse Mosaic to write about because the mosaics are one of the most acknowledged elements of church design of the Byzantine Empire. Mosaics are interesting because they are created from tiny bits of colored glass or stone to make these beautiful pictures.

Art from the Byzantine Empire was similar to that of the Greeks. For example, mosaics began with the Greeks and was later adopted by the people of the Byzantine Empire. The difference between Greek art and art from the Byzantine Empire is that while the Greeks focused on human subjects, the Byzantine art focused mainly on God. The Apse Mosaic is representative of Byzantine art in that sense because it shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus.

The Apse Mosaic is in the Hagia Sophia and is the oldest mosaic still there today. The Hagia Sophia is a museum in Istanbul, Turkey which was previously known as Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire. Back then, the Hagia Sophia was not a museum, but an Eastern Orthodox Church. The mosaic was created either during Michael III's rule from 842-867 or Basil I's rule from 867-886 which was after the emperor Justinian had reconstructed the church. The church was reconstructed because it had been burnt down by enemies. The new form of the church, reconstructed by Justinian is what still stands today.

"Byzantine Art - Byzantine Icons." __Oil Paintings Reproduction - Canvas Oil Painting Reproductions For Sale__. 01 Feb. 2009 http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/medieval/byzantine.htm. "Hagia Sophia, Istanbul." __Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred places__. 01 Feb. 2009 http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia.htm. "Hagia sophia «." __Mosaic Art Source__. 01 Feb. 2009 [|http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/category/mosaic/mosaic-resources/mosaic-travel/hagia-sophia/.]