Today in History—December 27: Oceans (and Centuries) Apart

Almost 1,400 years apart, two grand structures were inaugurated. The Hagia Sophia was consecrated on December 27, 537 CE, as the largest cathedral in the world (a title it would hold for almost a thousand years). It was introduced by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I with the resounding “Solomon, I have outdone thee!”—a reference to King Solomon’s construction of the Temple of Jerusalem. In 1932 Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall, the largest indoor theater in the world, opened its doors to the public for the first time.

The Hagia Sophia, when it was opened, was a center for Christians of the Byzantine Empire to gather and pray. Over time, even through its many transformations (at one point, it served as a museum), the main purpose of the Hagia Sophia has been to create a religious community. Today, Muslims pray under its hallowed dome, which was the one of the largest in the world when it was first built. The walls of the Hagia Sophia are lined with breathtaking mosaics that illustrate the hall’s history and are a distinct blend of Islamic and Byzantine culture.

Radio City Music Hall is home to the Great Stage—a behemoth of a structure, measuring 60 by 100 feet, giving performers ample room to show off their skills. Grand arches support Radio City’s structure, and in the absence of pillars, every audience member has an unobstructed view of the stage. The grandeur of the performance hall, however, hides its origins in the stock market crash of 1929. Billionaire and businessman John D. Rockefeller, Jr., collaborated with the Radio Corporation of America to transform the struggling “speakeasy belt” and create a “people’s palace.” Radio City was intended to welcome all types of audiences, regardless of social class.

Both buildings, though separated by time, oceans, and purpose, have helped to fulfill humans’ overwhelming desire for community, and in that regard, they have readily stood the test of time.