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HAGIA SOFIA OF ISTANBUL

June 2, 2014 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

Istanbul, Turkey

(photo from Wikipedia)

(photo from Wikipedia)

Of the original five great patriarchates of Christianity, that of Byzantium was the last to form and, for many years, was the least important.  This situation changed dramatically in the 4th century when Constantine not only legalized Christianity but also moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium.  Almost overnight Byzantium became the most important seat of the Church.  With the large Greek-speaking Christian populations of Greece and Asia Minor under his jurisdiction and direct access to the emperor, Byzantium became the defacto headquarters of the Church for several centuries.  In later years, even after many Greek Orthodox territories had fallen to Islam, the majority of Greek speaking Christians continued to recognize Constantinople as their mother church.  Today, the Patriarchate of Byzantium, now Istanbul, still clings to its heritage even as the Christian population of that city has dwindled to almost nothing.  The Church of Hagia Sofia, now a museum, is still Orthodox Christianity’s spiritual heart.  The Church of Hagia Sofia is part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

While Rome wasn’t built in a day, its successor, Constantinople almost was.  When the Roman emperor Constantine set out to move the imperial capital from Rome in the early 4th century, Byzantium was little more than provincial town descended from an ancient Greek city-state.  However, its highly strategic position at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea attracted the emperor’s attention.  By 330 AD the town was renamed Constantinople and a massive building program was underway.  By the middle of the 4th century, Constantinople had rapidly grown into one of the empire’s largest cities.  This was a political boon for the Greek-speaking Christians of the eastern empire.

Shortly before the capital was moved, Christianity was officially legalized by Constantine.  In fact, the two events were somewhat related.  The location of the new capital was much closer to the Holy Land, which made it more convenient for pilgrims as well as for troops marching east to defend the area from enroaching Persians.  For Christianity, the relocation of the imperial capital to the east had both advantages and disadvantages.  On the one hand, it greatly strengthened the power and influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople.  Even though the senior Patriarch was considered to be that of Rome, the Patriarch of Constantinople was much closer to the Christian heartlands as well as to the Emperor.  On the other hand, this led to an increasing jealousy between Rome and Constantinople that would end seven hundred years later in the Great Schism of 1054.

During the early 6th century, Justinian I renewed the imperial commitment to the Patriarch by building the Church of Hagia Sofia, the largest and most spectacular church that had yet been constructed.  However, by the 7th century, after surviving hundreds of years of war with Germans, Huns and Persians, the Byzantine Empire was then faced with a new foe: Islam.  Within a few decades of the death of Mohammed, all of the Byzantine possessions in the Middle East and North Africa were swept away.  Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria were all taken.  Of all of the eastern patriarchates, only that of Constantinople remained free.  The Orthodox Christians then turned to Constantinople for leadership.  Unfortunately, in one of history’s greatest examples of bad timing, the Patriarch of Constantinople formally broke with the Papacy just in time for the arrival of the Seljuk Turks.

Despite aid sent from the Roman Catholic nations of the west, the schism constantly hampered the effectiveness of the Christian forces.  At a low ebb in Catholic-Orthodox relations, armies of the Fourth Crusade from France and Venice actually sacked Constantinople.  Constantinople never quite recovered from the blow, neither militarily, economically nor psychologically.  By the time the Crusades drew to a close, virtually all of the once mighty Byzantine Empire was in Muslim hands.  However, Constantinople remained free for another century.  The once nearly-supreme Patriarch ruled over an ever-shrinking Christian population in the east, which by the 15th century was dwarfed by the Roman Catholic Church.  In 1453, the Turks at last completed the conquest of Asia Minor.  Constantinople was seized, and the magnificent Church of Hagia Sofia was appropriated and put to use as a mosque.  It would remain so until the early 20th century, when it was neutralized and turned into a museum.

Visiting

For the better part of a thousand years, the Church of Hagia Sofia in Constantinople was the largest and most spectacular church, and building, in the world.  The original structure was demolished in the 6th century and replaced by a magnificent domed structure in which no expense was spared.  The Church of Hagia Sofia is considered to be the penultimate example of Byzantine construction.  The staggered walls give the outer structure an almost stepped appearance, with the church’s general symmetry and sloped roofs adding to the pyramidic illusion.  The towering, red-brick entranceway is reminiscent of Islamic architectural styles.  The whole is crowned by a great silvered dome with a golden spire built after an earlier dome was destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century.  Four towering white minarets were added to the complex in the 15th century after the Hagia Sofia was converted to use as a mosque.

The interior of the church is the architectural equal of the exterior.  Marble in staggering quantities was pillaged from other cities of the empire for its construction.  One of the most striking features of the Hagia Sofia is the tremendous number of windows in the place.  Few other churches built in the early Middle Ages could boast such an abundance of natural light.  Another feature that really makes the interior stand out is the wall-to-wall paintings and mosaics that cover nearly every square inch of surface area.  Icons of Jesus and the saints abound.  Interestingly, the vast majority of the interior artwork survived the Islamic occupation and mosque period.  Today the church consists mostly of open space used as a museum for the display of religious art and artifacts.

The Church of Hagia Sofia is located in the heart of Istanbul’s Old City right outside of the walls of the Topkapi Palace.  It has served as a museum for the better part of the last century, and is open to Muslims, Christians and anybody else who cares to peek inside.  It is open Tuesday through Sundays from 9:00am-5:00pm.  The cost of admission is US$4.50.  Web: http://ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr (official website)

Other Sites

At one time, medieval Constantinople probably resembled medieval Rome in terms of the number of cathedrals, churches and Christian sites that graced the city.  But the Muslims left little of the Christian city untouched after their conquest.  Most churches were converted for use as mosques or public buildings or were simply destroyed.  Among the oldest survivors are the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos, which once served as the patriarchal church of Istanbul, and the Chora Church, one of the oldest and most beautiful early churches of the city to have survived.  Tucked away near the Hagia Sofia is the Patriarchate of Constantinople, still hanging on after five centuries of Muslim rule.  The Fatih Mosque stands on the site of the old Church of the Holy Apostles, which once housed the relics of Andrew the Apostle, Luke the Evangelist, Timothy, John Chrysotoam and Constantine the Great.

Filed Under: Early Christian Site, Eastern Orthodox, Museums and Libraries, Muslim Tagged With: Turkey/Cyprus

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Comments

  1. Robert Chastain says

    June 12, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    My wife and I have visited many of Christendom’s great historic churches and places of spiritual significance. The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul is one of the most imposing and architecturally awe-inspiring places of worship ever constructed – especially given that its present form was completed in 537 AD without modern technology, metal framing, or construction cranes.
    Of the great ancient domed temples and churches still standing, only Rome’s Pantheon, a much smaller building completed around 126 AD, seems similarly amazing when one personally experiences the obvious weight and proven durability of its dome. Both the Hagia Sofia and the Pantheon still function as edifices fully suitable for occupancy and active worship.
    Given that the Hagia Sofia has served longer as an Islamic mosque than it served as a Christian church, its importance to Eastern Orthodoxy (Byzantine Christianity) is often overlooked. I am glad to see that Howard Kramer chose to point this out in his description of the Hagia Sofia of Istanbul.
    I really appreciate your website, which I believe encourages people to make their own pilgrimage to Holy places and to satisfy their spiritual hunger by faith in God, rather than by trusting in sinful humankind.

    Reply
    • Howard Kramer says

      July 17, 2022 at 6:43 pm

      Thanks for the comments! I would have liked to have visited the churches of Constantinople before the Muslim conquest.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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