As may be inferred by the architectural and decorative choices made in the construction of the Church of San Vitale and the Hagia Sophia, Justinian tried to establish himself as an advocate for the unity and restoration of the empire who was in support of the development and free worship of Christianity. In the Church of San Vitale, there is a large mosaic depicting Christ and below him are mosaics of Justinian and his wife Theodora; all three of the images are plated with gold. The visual proximity of Justinian and his wife to the image of Christ and the expensive material from which these mosaics were constructed were probably intended to indicate that Justinian associated himself with Christianity and that his power over the empire was legitimized