Wat Kuti Thong วัดกุฎีทอง is an active temple located on the northern side of the old
Lopburi River. It is split into two parts by a road that runs through the center of the monastery.
The monks live in the buildings closest to the river and the ancient ruins are on the opposite side of the road.
Wat Kuti Thong is framed by many ancient walls and an arched entrance gateway. These can still be seen directly next to the road, but they are also visible completely around the monastery’s boundaries. Some of the walls are quite high in places.
The main sermon hall sits on top of a large mound, which may have been the remains of an older building. Two gold painted Buddha images sit in the taming mara poses on the main altar.
The sermon hall is a modern construction in the Ratanakosin style.
On the north side if the hall are two large chedis. They sit on top of a huge mound, so some parts of them may still be concealed underground. Both chedi are bell-shaped, which suggests that ...
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul’s Fatih district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1985), is a 6th-century architectural marvel. Built in 537 AD as a Byzantine cathedral under Emperor Justinian I, it became a mosque in 1453 after Ottoman conquest, a museum in 1935, and a mosque again in 2020.
Its massive dome (31m wide, 55.6m high), supported by pendentives, revolutionized architecture, influencing Ottoman mosques. Featuring Byzantine mosaics and Ottoman calligraphy, it symbolizes Istanbul’s Christian-Islamic heritage.
Byzantine Era (537–1453): Constructed in just five years (532–537) by architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) was the largest cathedral in Christendom for nearly a millennium. As the centerpiece of Constantinople, it hosted imperial coronations and Christian ceremonies, symbolizing Byzantine power and faith.
• Ottoman Era (1453–1935): After Sultan Mehmet II’s conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a ...
The mosque built by Sultan Mehmet II (Mehmed the Conqueror) after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 is the Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii, meaning “Conqueror’s Mosque”)
The Fatih Mosque, located in Istanbul’s Fatih district, was commissioned by Sultan Mehmet II to commemorate his conquest of Constantinople. Completed in 1470, it was built on the site of the Byzantine Church of the Holy Apostles, a significant 4th-century Christian complex second only to Hagia Sophia in importance. The mosque symbolized Ottoman dominance and the transformation of Constantinople into Istanbul, the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.
The Church of the Holy Apostles, originally constructed around 330–336 AD under Emperor Constantine the Great and rebuilt by Justinian I in the 6th century, housed relics of apostles and served as an imperial burial site. Its location on Constantinople’s fourth hill was strategically supported by the 4th-century Valens Aqueduct (completed 373 AD), which supplied water to ...
The Venerable Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Turkish: Aziz Yorgi Patrikanesi Kilisesi), located in Istanbul’s Fener neighborhood in the Fatih district, is the spiritual heart of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, serving as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch since ~1600. Dedicated to Saint George, this modest yet richly adorned cathedral is central to Eastern Orthodoxy, guiding over 300 million Christians worldwide. A UNESCO World Heritage Site within the “Historic Areas of Istanbul” (inscribed 1985), it houses sacred relics, including a piece of the True Cross, and features historic gates sealed since the 1821 Greek uprising, embodying centuries of resilience and faith.
The True Cross, one of Christianity’s most sacred relics, believed to be a piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This relic, preserved within the church’s nave, is a focal point for Orthodox Christian pilgrims and a testament to the church’s role as the spiritual seat of the Ecumenical ...
