The Hagia Sophia is making the news these days because the Turkish president is changing the status of the great building from a world museum and UNESCO World Heritage site…to a mosque. But what is the Hagia Sophia? It’s perhaps a shame that so few understand the incredible role the Hagia Sophia basilica played in world history.

The medieval era marks one of only four major eras in human history. Historians generally classify the medieval era as lasting from 500 to 1500 C.E. Well, the Hagia Sophia fulfilled its historical role from 537 to 1453 – the exact time frame of the medieval era. Perhaps no other building exists in the Western Hemisphere that serves as a better embodiment of the medieval era than the Hagia Sophia.

 

 

Many people in the world today view the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City as the center of Christendom. And yet, St. Peter’s Basilica is a scant 394 years old. By comparison, Hagia Sophia is 1,483 years old. Go ahead a whistle if you’re impressed. Unlike many buildings of this vintage, the Church of Holy Wisdom, as it is alternatively called, is still fully functional.

Older than Islam, the Hagia Sophia basilica had been built as the monumental symbol of Christendom on earth. The bulky structure faces out to the world with a hue of faded red paint, crowned by a purple-gray dome, and topped with a golden spike. Four minarets flank the building, two at the fore and two at the rear (these are more recent additions).

 

 

Timeline of the Hagia Sophia:

 

532 – The original Hagia Sophia was destroyed during the Nika Riots

537 – The current architectural wonder is completed during the reign of Justinian and Theodora the Great

1204 – Converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral, after Western crusaders sack Constantinople

1261 – Returned to the Eastern Orthodox Church

1453 – Converted to a mosque after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks

1507 – Construction of St. Peter’s Basilica begins in Italy to replace the Hagia Sophia

1616 – The Blue Mosque is built across from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

1626 – St. Peter’s Basilica is finally consecrated

1934 – Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, converts the Hagia Sophia to a museum

2020 – President Recep Ergodan, Turkey’s current leader, decreed the Hagia Sophia to be a mosque again

 

While Europe was slogging through a violent and regressive dark age, the Hagia Sophia rose above the city of Constantinople as a bulwark of civilization and a beacon of religious devotion that defined the era. The Hagia Sophia was the largest church in the world, with one of the largest enclosed spaces until modern times, and featuring architectural distinctions that redefined architecture.

I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. And the building is spellbinding. After passing through massive doorways once reserved for Roman emperors, you enter a cavernous space of gleaming marble, a forest of marble pillars, and a haze of foggy sunlight peeking through the windows. One gazes up into the underside of the great dome and falls dizzy with wonder.

In my opinion, the Western world doesn’t give enough credit to the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire that built the Hagia Sophia. Clearly, we took for granted that such an important site wouldn’t be nationalized at the snap of one man’s fingers. And since human depictions are not allowed within mosques, the stunning historical mosaics that adorn the walls will likely be covered up with plaster or some other means. This is equivalent to covering up the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel.

 

 

The Hagia Sophia should remain a museum. A museum is a higher calling since it preserves something about all human history, regardless of religion or nation or politics. It’s universal and inclusive. A museum belongs to all of us and enlightens us. If you suspect that perhaps you don’t know much about the Byzantine Empire, please explore. It’s fascinating. The Byzantines set the table for the modern world in ways you may not have suspected.

History matters. And we must never forget.

 

Douglas A. Burton is an author of historical fiction. His critically-acclaimed and award-winning novel, ’Far Away Bird’ follows the early life of Byzantine Empress Theodora. Doug has been on a mission to introduce the Byzantine Empire’s vital role in history and Empress Theodora’s vital contribution to women’s rights.

 

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