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Aya Sophia, the Holy Church of Wisdom, is possibly
the most amazing building in Istanbul. It was the greatest
church in Christendom, called the Cathedral of Byzantium
Constantinople and built a thousand years before St. Peters
in Rome in 500 AD. Situated overlooking the Black Sea, it’s
a dramatic and romantic location.
When the Ottomans conquered Istanbul in 1453, their leader
Mehmet headed straight into Aya Sophia and ordered
it to be cleansed and changed into a mosque for Islam. Today
it is a museum.
Over the years, minarets were added. The Christian mosaics
were plastered in accordance with the Koran which forbids
images of humans in a place of worship. The only remaining
feature from the Turkish conquest is the sculpted frieze over
the south portal. Fragments of images of Christ Pantokraor
and the 11st century Empress Zoe remain. Now the originals
mosaics are being restored.
It is said that an image of St Gregory the miracle
worker appeared near a certain pillar in the church. Over
the centuries, pilgrims have put their fingers in the cavity
believing the moisture will cure eye diseases and infertility.
It is probaby inadvisable not to poke your finger in the hole,
as many diseased hands have touched it! |
