The Hagia Sophia, was described in the 6th century as the eight wonder of the world. It was built on the remains of a Roman temple on one of the seven hills of Istanbul. The first two versions of the Basilica had wooden domes. The second church was destroyed during the Niki Riots. The Nika Riots started after a chariot race with the root cause being taxes. Emperor Justinian was nearly overthrown, his troops eventually quelled the mob. The estimates of the dead range from 30,000 to 40,000.
The new church was a balm to quiet the populace. The construction lasted 5 years 10 months with the consecration occurring in December 537.
The dome of the church appears to be suspended from the heavens. The dome is 32.5 m wide and 55.6 m high. It remained the largest dome in the world for nearly 1,000 years. The center of the dome was decorated by an image of Christ, while four seraphim adorned the base of the primary dome.
The building uses a lovely variety of marble, some of the stone is luminescent giving the building an ethereal glow at sunset.
A prominent mosaic show scenes of the emperor and architect subservient to the Christ Child. The architect is offering the building and Emperor Justinian is offering gold.
The fourth Crusade, (1202 -1204) meant to capture Moslem controlled Jerusalem, instead turned their attention to plunder. Constantinople was ransacked and the head of the Eastern church was murdered. During my visit 8 years ago, you could see graffiti from the era. As part of restoration efforts, the graffiti has been removed.
In May, 1453, the Ottoman army led by Mehmed II, captured the city. Mehmed road his horse into the Basilica and claimed it for Islam. The greatest church in Christendom would be a mosque until 1935, when Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey, converted the mosque into a museum.
Even though Mehmed II had the greatest building on earth, he wanted something grander. Fatih, the name means conqueror, commissioned the building of a mosque on the highest hill in Istanbul. His tomb would be built atop the tomb of the Byzantine Emperor and the complex was going to be bigger than the Hagia Sophia.
The architect, Akit, was a Christian who converted to Islam. He built a beautiful structure.
However, when Fatih measured the dome, it was smaller than the dome of the Hagia Sophia. The architect had both of his hands cut off.
Under Sharia law at the time, the architect was able to sue Fatih. The court found in the architect’s favor. Fatih must also have his hands cut off. Instead, a negotiation took place. The architect was given generous compensation for his life and the life of his descendants.
He also was able to save one Hellenistic Christian church from being either razed or converted to a mosque. St. Mary of the Mongols is the only church that has continuously served as a Greek Orthodox since the Byzantine era.
Dome of the Fatih mosque
The skyline of Istanbul is pierced by numerous mosques. Every hill has several mosques, many are under restoration.
It’s been over 500 years since Fatih sought to build the largest and most grand mosque.
Now, the Turkish government of Erdogan are in mosque building frenzy. A grand complex is being built on the Asian side. Two years ago, construction began on a mosque in Takism square.
Takism Square is the site of a monument to Ataturk and the creation of the secular state of Turkey. Many Turks feel putting a mosque in the area is an attempt to diminish both Ataturk and the secular founding of the country. The fundamentalists and conservatives feel there aren’t enough mosques in the new city.
Some believe the mosque is being built to over shadow St. Anthony of Padua, a Roman Catholic Church near Takism Square. Original built in 1725, it served the Italian families of the new city.
Dome of Hagia Sofia. The image of Christ has been replaced with lines from the Quran.
The faces of the seraphim have been removed to conform with Islamic rules
All references to crosses were eliminated when the Hagia Sofia was converted. The arrow on the door to the right was originally a cross