This beautiful building is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey and is one of the oldest Christian buildings in the world. On 7 May 558AD the Dome of Hagia Sophia collapsed and the Roman Emperor Justinian I ordered it to be rebuilt.
Hagia Sophia, means ‘Holy Wisdom ‘. It was built in 537AD as the cathedral of the Imperial capital of Constantinople and was one of the largest Christian churches of the Eastern Roman Empire, otherwise known as the Byzantine Empire. It remained a Christian place of worship until 1453AD when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire. At this point it was converted into a mosque and it remained a mosque until 1935 when the secular Turkish Republic established it as a museum to preserve it’s Muslim and Christian heritage. However, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğanmade the news in 2020 when it reopened as a mosque. This redesignation was controversial, invoking condemnation from the Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, the International Association of Byzantine Studies,and many international leaders who feared that preservation of its Christian heritage might be lost.
Architecturally this building is outstanding! It is considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture and in some people’s views it changed the history of architecture because it had the first pendentive dome (a dome on a square or rectangular building). It served as the inspiration for many other Christian and Muslim buildings from the Hagia Sophia, Thessaloniki and Panagia Ekatontapiliani to the Blue Mosque, the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex.It remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years until Seville Cathedral was built in 1520AD.
I confess that I love church buildings! At one point I thought about becoming an architect because I find buildings fascinating, I love their design and different styles of architecture. However, the fact that they are places of worship is even more wonderful to me. Have you ever sat in a church and thought about just how many other people have done so in the past? If it is a really old church then people who were contemporaries of Oliver Cromwell or Elizabeth I sat where you sat! Many thousands of people have earnestly prayed for healing, for children, for peace or for wisdom in challenging situations just where you are sat!
Hagia Sophia has had a mixed history, both Christians and Muslims have worshiped God there and my prayer is that Christians may still get the opportunity to. The last year has been a mixed blessing too! Here in Britain we have learned to worship in new ways. My prayer is that May will usher in a time when we can return to worship in these sacred spaces. Then we can again continue the worshiping tradition of our Christian ancestors and once more prayer and praise can rise to God in British Churches!
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