Mary Zachary-Lang
The Hagia Sophia was originally built by the Emperor Constantius and was opened for services in 360 AD. Very little is known about this church however it was most probably a basilica-type church with a rectangular floor plan, a circular apse and a timbered roof.
It was named the ‘Megale Ekklesia" or Great Church. The historian Socrates indicated that the church was named Sophia during the reign of Emperor Constantine and was to symbolize the second aspect of the trinity, Christ. Sophia was a name given to Christ by the 4th century theologians. The church was destroyed in 404CE by mobs and was rebuilt in 415. But the church was to undergo many tragedies and has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times due to earthquake, rebellion and revolt. Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a new church upon the remains of the Megale Ekklesia and this church was to surpass Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. It took one hundred master builders and ten thousand laborers. The church was filled with rare materials including porphyry columns from Egypt by way of Rome, ivory and gold icons and ornaments from ancient temples in Ephesus, Kisikos and Baalbek. As Constantine entered the church for the first time in order to pray, he was overwhelmed with emotion as he thanked God for allowing him to fulfill his dearest wish.
Unfortunately the Hagia Sophia was later ransacked in 1204 by the Fourth Crusaders and after repairs it continued as a church until the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror entered the city and rode to the Hagia Sophia he claimed her for his own and so she was then converted into his imperial mosque. At first the frescoes and mosaics were preserved but by the 16th century, they were completely covered by plaster. It was then that the necessary architectural standards were completed. In 1926 Ataturk converted the mosque into a museum and visited the Hagia Sophia for the first time on this day in 1935.
I was unsettled at the Hagia Sophia, partly because they were doing restoration work and the scaffolding interrupted the beauty of the dome light. But I could feel the ravaging and desacration and felt an intense sadness that there was no more corporate praying allowed in this sacred space. To imagine men plastering over the beautiful frescoes and mosaics, to know that beneath the round Muslim iconography were more mosaics that I would never see, was almost unbearable. It was like visiting a tomb only the body was gone, nothing was left but shards of gold glass, pieces of paintings, disappointment and ruination.
And what of Holy Wisdom? My readings prepared me for a temple devoted to a biblical figure who had worked with God on the creation of the universe. A craftswoman, God’s wife, artist and feminine aspect of the Father-Mother God or even Jesus as Sophia.
And surely the mosaics of Jesus were thrilling and powerful, but to realize that in one mosaic/fresco his face had been repainted to show contempt for an empress at his side who was supposed to have sinned, was horrifying.
But eventually the remaining artworks began to speak to me, speak of their joy and their despair for all that they have witnessed. I was moved by all the heart icons; half blue, half red and the spades that are really inverted hearts with a stem. These seemed liberally sprinkled throughout the imagery. And I found a fresco of a spider web in the corner of the second floor, an ancient symbol of the void, the weaver who weaves us all into existence. But perhaps what moved me with the deepest strength were the seraphim at the four corners of the main dome. These had not been painted over by iconoclasts but had remained throughout the life of the Hagia Sophia witnessing the pageantry, the opulent worship, the prayers of early Christians. These seraphim, who are six-winged beings with no bodies or faces, have been flying above the floor of the cathedral as evidence of God’s burning passion and promised protection. They have been a part of the worship that included 80 priests, 150 deacons, 40 deaconesses, 160 readers, 25 chanters, 75 doorkeepers. Now I begin to see the vestments, the relics, the gold and silver sacred vessels ornamented with pearls and precious stones. Now I begin to see the power and grace of this mighty church, through these seraphim. Now I begin to feel the prayers and mystery that only Holy Wisdom can offer, the love and faith of these people who created such grandeur in the name of this Holy Wisdom. But it is not easy to hold onto this vision. Hagia Sophia’s transformation into a mosque has given it a grotesque beauty that I find unnerving. Overlays of ornamented paintings cover only imagined mosaics, Islamic calligraphy conceal frescoes of Jesus, Mary, John and more. How will we ever know?
It is not for us to discover in a nation of Muslims. I am grateful for the preservation and care shown to this great church but in my dreams it is restored to its grandeur with vestments, and gospel-books, with the seraphim as symbol of God’s nurturing love and warmth once again floating high above the heads of Christians worshipping.