I left off yesterday with the question of where is the conflict, or drama, in this building. The Hagia Sophia has an amazing history that I can do very little justice to in a short space, but the gist is there was conflict from its very beginnings. First just the chronology: Two of the churches that were built on the same spot were burned down during riots--one following the exile of the Patriarch of Constantinople. A new church is built and inaugurated in 415. This second one was destroyed during the so called Nika (victory) riots, where the discontent of the people of Constantinople over taxation, corruption, etc, led to massive demonstrations against the Emperor Justinian--this is in 532 AD. After quelling the riots, the Hagia Sophia is in ruins, and 30,000 lay dead. Out of this backdrop the new Hagia Sophia is created. And then earthquakes ravage the dome in 553 and 557. Then in 717, Leo III seizes the throne and between 726 and 729 he issues a series of decrees against the worship of images. So, during that time, Icons and statues are removed from the church--they are now considered blasphemus...and more: 859 fire; dome collapses in 989. It is repaired and then comes the first of the big conflicts: the church is plundered and defiled during the fourth crusade by the Latins in 1204... they stole many things and in general trashed the place, going so far as to seat a prostitute on the patriarchs throne for the entertainment of the looters....then it was converted for a short time (1204-1261) into a Roman Catholic Cathedral. In 1261 it was recaptured by the Byzantines and it was a mess...more earthquakes, more problems...then in 1453 the city was conquered by the Turks and Sultan Mehmed II ordered the church to be converted to a mosque. Many (although not all) of the mosaics were covered with whitewash. Many things were added to it (minarets, restorations, a minber and a mihrab and tile work) Finally, in 1934, under the order of the founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum..
That's the bare bones. What I get from this narrative is that this magnificent and sacred building has been at the center of some serious religious and political fervor and conflict for over 1500 years: Natural world vs Buildings, Christian vs. Pagan, Christian vs. Christian, and Muslim vs Christian. Yet it has always inspired awe. It was described by a sixth century historian as follows: "The Hagia Sophia soars to a height to match the sky, and like a ship riding at anchor, higher than the other buildings, it looks down upon the remainder of the city. The dome seems not to rest on solid masonry, but to cover the space with its golden dome suspended from heaven", and that an Arab Trader in the 13th century said: "They say one of the angels reside there, round about this place they have made fences of gold." and about which Justinian himself said "Solomon, I have surpassed thee", on December 27, 537, as he first walked under the immense dome of his just completed church.
And yet, another way to look at it, and perhaps more positively is, how much the Hagia Sophia influenced what came after it--indeed many of Istanbuls great mosques, built after the 1453 conquest, played imitative flattery to the great dome of the Hagia Sophia: this building shows that this part of the world is rich in the strata of overlaid faiths and cultures. I found myself both compelled by this structure simply as a thing of beauty and fascinated by how it illustrated the spirituality, beauty and grace of two major religions and at the same time reminded us of the horrific violence and hatred that sometimes are carried out in the name of these religions. Both things are in play there today, where partially covered mosaics of Christian history and theology are side by side huge circular calligraphy panels honoring Allah, Mohammed, the first four Caliphs of Islam and the two grandsons of Mohammed.
And that says nothing of the marble walls and floors.
Wow.
Tomorrow I will let you know how I take all of this into something tangible and meaningful to 7th and 8th grade drama students who simply want to create a play and have some fun. We had an exceptional first day, but this, I think, is enough to digest for one entry.
No comments:
Post a Comment