Editing Hagia Sophia (section)

===Deësis mosaic===

The [[Deësis]] mosaic ({{lang|grc|Δέησις}}, "Entreaty") probably dates from 1261. It was commissioned to mark the end of 57 years of Latin Catholic use and the return to the Eastern Orthodox faith. It is the third panel situated in the imperial enclosure of the upper galleries. It is widely considered the finest in Hagia Sophia, because of the softness of the features, the humane expressions and the tones of the mosaic. The style is close to that of the Italian painters of the late 13th or early 14th century, such as [[Duccio]]. In this panel the [[Virgin Mary]] and [[John the Baptist]] are imploring the [[intercession]] of Christ Pantocrator for humanity on [[Last Judgment|Judgment Day]]. The bottom part of this mosaic is badly deteriorated.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Parry |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWp9JA3aBvcC&q=sophia+%22deesis+was%22 |title=The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity |date=2010-05-10 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-3361-9 |page=379 |language=en}}</ref> This mosaic is considered as the beginning of a renaissance in Byzantine [[Pictorial artist|pictorial art]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hagiasophia.com/listingview.php?listingID=17 |title=Deesis |author=Hagia Sophia |work=hagiasophia.com |access-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220040345/http://www.hagiasophia.com/listingview.php?listingID=17 |archive-date=20 December 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>