The Hagia Sophia is a marvel of building set in the heart of the city, renowned for its vast dome, its intricate mosaics, and the broad courtyards that serve as places of public gathering. This great structure is not a landmark only but a thing of considerable cultural and political weight, oft the setting of royal occasions and ceremonies. Plazas surround it on every side, and it is bound to the lineage of Vlad and Radu's father, which underscores its place in the history of the church. One curious feature is a door dressed with red Easter-egg shells, tied to a legend of the last patriarch.
Of late, at the coronation of Abd-ul Mejid, the Hagia Sophia furnished the setting for the presentation of the Sword of Osman — a pivotal ceremony that drew great crowds. The Imperial Guard kept order as coins were cast into the throng; yet tempers rose when certain protesters cried that the gold belonged by right to the Janissaries, and the guard answered swiftly. The Hagia Sophia served at once as a place of ceremony and as a focus for the sentiment and unrest of the people — a mirror of the city's tangled political weather.
The quarter about the Hagia Sophia is much frequented by those in search of intelligence, amongst them such as sought Matilda Manukian. A local custom of delivering baked goods to the shops may serve as a cover for such inquiries. The vicinity is bound up besides with the Ghost of March, a figure tied to the undercity and the neighbouring quarters, who draws the interest of sundry parties — Osman and the so-called "A Certain Community" amongst them.