The thirteen-centuries-old church of Hagia Sophia, dedicated to the Holy Wisdom of God, has been the focus of scholarly interest and debate since the nineteenth century, generating a remarkably rich bibliography both Greek and foreign. However, until now there was no publication aimed at the visitors to this monument. This book fills the need for an informative guidebook, examining all aspects of the subject of the history of the church, its decoration, and its reception throughout history. Russian language edition