Hagia Sophia Paintings [1849, Istanbul] by Fossati Brothers

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Hagia Sophia Paintings [1849, Istanbul] by Gaspare & Giuseppe Fossati Brothers

24 HQ JPG Images | 2400x1800 Pixels | 36 MB

Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.

THE FOSSATI BROTHERS: Gaspare (1809-1883) and Giuseppe (1822-1891) Fossati were born in Ticino, Switzerland. They finished primary and middle school in Venice and studied architecture at the Brera Academy in Milano. After graduation from the Academy, Gaspare researched Roman and Renaissance buildings until 1833. He participated in the Pesto, Ercolano and Pompeii excavation works. In 1833, Gaspare went to Russia and joined the colony of Italian artists there. For a short while, he became famous and had many projects and commissions. At the end of 1836, he received the title of “court architect” in St. Petersburg and was appointed to Istanbul for the project of building in the Russian Embassy. During his stay in Istanbul, Gaspare worked with many Italian and local artists’ teams, including with his brother Giuseppe Fossati. The Fossati brothers completed more than 50 projects during the Tanzimat reform era in Turkey. Between 1841 and 1843, the Fossati brothers built the brick Bab-i Seraskeri Hospital (Bekiraga Bölügü) and Liman iskelesi Karakolu in Eminönü for the Ottoman Administration. As a result of the brothers’ success, they were formally appointed to renovate Arzuodasi at Babiali in 1844, and to build important buildings in Sultanahmet such as Dârülfünun (university) (1845-1846), Hazine-i Evrak, and Mekteb-i Sanayi (1846-1848).