Haghia Sophia whose name means “Holy Wisdom” is
a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque and now a museum in
Istanbul, Turkey in the 6th century a.d. From the date of its dedication
in 360 until 1453 , it served as the Greek Patriarchal Cathedral of
Constantinople, exept between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman
Catholic Cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western
Crusader established Latin Empire. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the
Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who subsequently ordered the building
converted into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels
were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. Islamic features such
as the mihrab, mimbar, and four minarets were added while in the possession of
the Ottomans. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it
was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935
It contains 2
floors center on the giant nave that has a great dome ceiling,a long with
smaller domes, towering above.
“Haghia Sophia’s dimension are formidable for
any structure not build of steel”, writes Helen Gardner and Fred Kleiner in
their book.
In plan it is about 270 feet (82 meters) long
and 240 feet (73 meters) wide. The dome is 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter and
its crown rises some 180 feet (55 meters) above the pavement. The decorations
within the Haghia Sophia at the time of construction were probably very simple,
images of crosses for instances. Over time this changed to include a variety of
ornate mosaics. During the 8th and 9th centuries A.D,
there was period of iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire that resulted in some of
the mosaics being destroyed. One of the most well known mosaics is located on
the apse of the church showing a 13-foot-tall (4 meters) Virgin Mary with Jesus
as a child. Dedicated on March 29, 867, it is located 30 meters (almost 100
feet) above the church floor.
Brief History :
Popularly known as the strategic place, where
the ‘East’ meets the ‘West’, in Istanbul Turkey, is a historic and fascinating
city, which bridges the continents of Europe and Asia. Situated on the west on
the Bosporus strait, which is responsible for joining the Black sea and the Sea
of Marmara, Istanbul has a diverse history that is packed with tradition and
ethnicity of it various conquerors.
Istanbul
is supposed to have been inhabited right from the primitive times, and
excavations conducted in that place have unearthed several evidences, that date
it somewhere between 5500 BC and 3500 BC. Records also point to the fact that
the modern Istanbul was actually a small Thracian fishing village called
Semista in 1000 BC, which also had a port by name of Lygos.
By
667 BC, a Greek ruler by name of Byzas, from Megara, established his kingdom
here, on the advice of an oracle of Delphi, and named it Byzantium. But it was
besieged by the Romans in AD 196, and became part of Roman Empire. The ravaged
city was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor, Septimus Severus, and temporarily given
the name of ‘Augusta Antonina’. But in 306 AD, emperor Constantine the Great
made Byzantium the capital of the entire Roman Empire, and from then on, the
city was called Constantinople. The Byzantium Empire was more or less
influenced by Greek culture, and was also a hub of Greek Ortodox Christianity,
which resulted in the construction of several magnificent Christian
architectural wonders, the prominent among them being the Haghia Sophia, which
remained the world’s largest cathedral till 1850.
The
Roman Empire passed through much turmoil due to attack from various souces,
especially the Barbarians, not to mention their internal problems, and finally,
in 532 AD, during the reign of Justinian I, the city was totally destroyed due
to anti government riots. Though much favored for its ideal location, that made
trade and transport between continents an easy affair, this very factor also
proved to be the doom of Constantinople. For several hundred years hence, it
had to face a lot of assault from the Arabs, Nomadic, Persians, as well as the
Fourth crusaders, who periodically occupied it.
At
last, in 1453, Constantinople was attacked and conquered by the courageous
Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Mehmet II, who renamed it Istanbul. It continued to
function not just as an important cultural, political and commercial hub, but
also as their main centre for military operations too, till World War I, after
which it was occupied by the Allies.
Sultan
Mehmet II was supposed to have given the city a cosmopolitan social outlook.
After deporting the remaining Byzantine population, a great many changes were
made to the existing architecture in general. The old world Christian city was
gradually transformed into a Muslim conurbation as the Emperor started
rebuilding all churches so as to convert the to mosques. The great mosque and
the Faith College were built on the old burial grounds of the erstwhile
Byzantine Emperors at the Church of the Holy Apostles. The Haghia Sophia too
was converted to a mosque. But to his credit, the Sultan held a cosmopolitan
outlook and for the greater part, allowed people of all faiths to settle in the
vast city, and made effective use of their varied skills. Tolerance was a great
virtuethat was practiced by Sultan Mehmed II, and it was reflected all over the
empire. Istanbul acquired a status of great importance in the eyes of all
Muslims, after the conquest of Egypt, and its glory increased froem leaps and
bounds in the hands of its various rulers, many of whom were great patrons of
art and architecture.
The
many historic monuments of yesteryears, that are to be found there, like the
various museums, castles, palaces, mosques, churches, etc contribute greatly to
the increase in the tourism industry today. In fact, many of its historic
architectures have been added to the UNESCO’s list of the world heritage sites.
- Audri Shabrina Fadhila & Vania Rani Anissa Kurniawan
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