How the Christian Hagia Sophia became a mosque: President Erdogan's scandalous reforms

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Hagia Sophia is a huge architectural marvel in Istanbul that was originally built as a Christian basilica. The UNESCO heritage is almost 1500 years old! Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Parthenon in Athens, Hagia Sophia is a long-lived symbol of the cosmopolitan city. At first it was an Orthodox church, then a mosque and a museum. And so, Hagia Sophia for the fourth time in its history has changed its status, becoming a mosque.

Cathedral history

The famous building with a dome is located in Istanbul's Fatih district, on the western shore of the Bosphorus. The UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting tourists from all over the world, was first built as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire.

Justinian I built the massive structure in 532 when the city - then known as Constantinople - was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Engineers at the time brought in building materials from all over the Mediterranean to build the colossal cathedral.

Hagia Sophia served as the home of the Eastern Orthodox Church for 900 years, with the exception of a short period in the 13th century when it was a Catholic cathedral under the control of European invaders. They plundered and occupied Constantinople during the fourth crusade.

In 1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror (Fatih) entered Constantinople and transformed an architectural wonder that had held the title of the largest cathedral in the world for a thousand years into a mosque. Ottoman architects removed and painted over Orthodox symbols inside Sofia and added Muslim attributes. At the same time, the architecture of Hagia Sophia inspired the builders of many Istanbul mosques and even world objects.

During the reign of the first president of the secular republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a museum by order. Since opening in 1935, it has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in Turkey.

Sofia's 1,500-year history has tremendous religious, spiritual and political significance for groups inside and outside Turkey. However, Ataturk's legacy, including his secular reforms, which the West so admired, remained controversial in his own country. The situation changed dramatically with the coming to power of Erdogan. From the first day of his appointment as mayor of Istanbul in 1995, Erdogan showed a completely different vision of Ataturk regarding Sofia. For him, the Hagia Sophia never ceased to be a mosque, and turning it into a Muslim sanctuary was his famous dream. He believed that this transformation would correct Ataturk's act of historical injustice.

The actions of Islamist groups and devout Muslims also added fuel to the fire: they demanded that the building be turned into a mosque, and organized numerous protests against the 1934 law banning religious services near Sofia.

What now?

Erdogan's dreams and the actions of radical Muslims led the Turkish president to officially turn the 6th century Istanbul Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declare it open to Muslim worship. The statement was released hours after the Turkish High Court overturned a 1934 ruling that the religious site was a museum. Unsurprisingly, the decision sparked anger among Christian leaders. This decision also drew official criticism from UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, the European Union, Austria, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, the USA, the Constantinople, Jerusalem, Russian, Greek Orthodox Churches and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Evangelical Church of Germany and the Holy See. Greece called this step by Turkey "an open provocation for the civilized world." Is the Turkish leader interested in the opinion of the public and world organizations? I doubt.

Sophia's mosaics: what will happen to them?

Saint Sophia Cathedral harmoniously combines two forms of monumental art - mosaics and frescoes. About 260 square meters of mosaics decorate the main parts of the interior, that is, the central dome and the altar. The walls of the five aisles and both towers are covered with 3000 square meters of frescoes dating back to the 11th century.

A number of mosaics of St. Sophia Cathedral are considered masterpieces and are the legacy of Byzantine art. The motives used in the creation of the mosaic were mainly imperial portraits and images of Christ.

One such magnificent mosaic is the 9th century apse mosaic that adorns the dome behind the altar. This is an image of the Virgin Mary seated on a backless throne with the baby Jesus on her knees. It is accompanied by a sparkling gold background, which was deliberately chosen to create a strong contrast with the dark color of Mary's robes.

Another masterpiece is the Pantacrator mosaic. This is the figure of Jesus located at the top of the Imperial Gate. Its symbolism is as follows: Jesus blesses the world with his right hand and carries the scriptures in his left hand. “Peace be with you. I am Divine Light."

The world famous Deesis mosaic, which is considered the beginning of a renaissance in Byzantine art, is located on the western wall of the northern gallery of Hagia Sophia. John the Baptist is depicted on the right side, and the Virgin Mary on the left side of Jesus. The Savior of the world himself is at the center of this magnificent masterpiece of Byzantine art.

The symbolic scene of the Apostles partaking of the Sacrament reveals the basic dogma of the Christian religion. The frescoes in the nave, transept of Hagia Sophia, are closely related to this theme. The lower tier of the apse depicts the figures of the church fathers. These are true masterpieces of psychological portraiture.

Throughout the existence of the cathedral, people came to Sofia to see centuries-old majestic creations, pray to icons and even make wishes. Will they come to him again? And, most importantly, can they? Time will show. However, from now on, all these magnificent mosaics and frescoes of Sofia will be covered with panels of Arabic religious calligraphy.

And in continuation of the story about this unique sight 12 little-known facts about Hagia Sophia.