Architecture

Friday, 6 February 2026
18 facts about Hagia Sophia
18 facts about Hagia Sophia
The most significant work of Byzantine architecture
The Hagia Sophia's Temple, now an Istanbul mosque, was initially built as the Church of Divine Wisdom. It was the highest-ranking temple in the Byzant ...

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Big Ben
Because Big Ben's foundations rest on a layer of gravel with London clay underneath, the tower began to lean slightly toward the northwest.
In the 1990s, thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into the ground beneath the tower to stabili ...
Göbekli Tepe
It seems that individual circles, for reasons unexplained, periodically lost their power and attractiveness and were replenished.
A new circle, a smaller one, was established within the first or even a third circle within the seco ...
Temple of Artemis
A medieval myth arose around Artemis Temple's columns.
According to a legend, columns removed from the legitimate location were used at the construction site of Hagia Sophia. There is no evidence to support this claim.
Mont Saint-Michel
In 966 monks from Saint-Wandrille came to the island and founded a new Benedictine abbey there - the Abbey of SaintWandrille de Fontenelle.
In 1256 and 1264, King Louis IX of France made pilgrimages to the abbey. Numerous pilgrims also came there, and in order to take proper care of them, a town was built at the foot of the sanctuary.
Windsor Castle
In the 15th century, King Edward IV began building the current chapel of St. George.
It is a chapel built in the style of late medieval Perpendicular Gothic. It is both a church under t ...
Arc de Triomphe
In 1995, the Armed Islamic Group planted and detonated an explosive charge under the arch, injuring 17 people.
Balmoral Castle
In the 1850s, exotic conifers were planted near the castle.
Prince Albert spent a lot of time improving the castle's surroundings, and supervised the constructi ...
Statue of Liberty
The author of the Statue of Liberty is Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor.
Bartholdi was inspired by Eugene Delacroix's painting, Liberty Leading the People. The face of the Statue of Liberty has the features of Bartholdi's mother and, reportedly, the body of his mistress.
Christ The Redeemer
Every year, the Christ the Redeemer Monument is visited by almost 2 million tourists.
Windsor Castle
King George V continued the process of gradual modernization of the castle.
He was helped in this by his wife, Queen Mary, who was mainly interested in furniture and decoration ...