The Church of the Apostles in Constantinople

After this he set about building a church in memory of the apostles in the city that bears his name. He carried the building up to a great height and decorated it brilliantly, covering it from the foundations to the roof with slabs of marble of various colors. He also made the inner ceiling of finely patterned work and overlaid it all with gold. The outer roof, which protected the building from the rain, was of bronze instead of tiles. This too was splendidly and richly adorned with gold, and it reflected the sun’s rays with a brightness that dazzled anyone looking from a distance. The dome was surrounded all the way around by finely carved latticework, made of bronze and gold. [a]