Part 5/11:
When the second Hagia Sophia succumbed to disaster, Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of the third version—a colossal task completed just six years later. This bold endeavor aimed to surpass the Pantheon in Rome, a monument he admired immensely. Through the challenges of converting a rectangular basilica into a circular dome structure, pioneers of architecture departed from prevailing methods, giving birth to a new architectural style.