Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, Museum

Hagia Sophia, as it was named by the Byzantines—or, Aya Sofia as it has been called since Ottoman times, has had three incarnations. Fire and earthquake destroyed the first two churches, the first being dedicated in 360 A.D., and the second in 415. Emperor Justinian I ordered the third construction in 532.

Mehmed II recognized the symbolic and practical power of Hagia Sophia. Immediately after taking the city from the Byzantines he ordered that the dilapidated parts of the church be renovated and that a mihrab be installed, the Christian relics removed, and the the mosaics near eye level covered over.

Dana Sajdi discussed with us her research on the gradual nature of the Islamization of Hagia Sophia. The upper mosaics were not covered over until the 19^th century when rising Safavid power created a challenge for Istanbul and motivated a resolve to re-assert the Islamic identity in a public way. The large roundels were installed at that same period and for the same reason.

Dana also pointed out the installation of a Koranic saying that is almost a paraphrase of a Christian text from the Byzantine period about God being the light of the world.

Her point is that the Islamic conquerers did not carry out a wholesale re-decoration of Hagia Sophia, perhaps at least in part because they wished to be connected to its venerable history. She further cited Muslim writers who referred to Hagia Sophia as having been a holy place “since ancient times” or since “forever.”

Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that the women and children who were praying in the church when the city was attacked were killed or enslaved without mercy.

Dana also compared Hagia Sophia to the mosques of Sinan. Sinan’s buildings are clear, “frontal,” and transparent in the sense of the entire plan of the building being visible for the most part from both within and without. In contrast, Hagia Sophia is a complex building that can only be seen in parts and sections from any one vantage point. It is full of alternating light and shadows, and has many acoustic effects that foregrounded the musical role of the building. Some scholarly analysis has commented that Hagia Sophia seems to be in dialogue with the Bosphorus and its changing reflections and movements.

This lecture and tour was extremely thought provoking. It helped me to mentally strip away some of the noise of tourists and find a sense of the building’s spirituality. It strikes me now as having a historic role, as is intended by its designation as a museum. As a Christian, I can't help but feel sad about a church losing its Christian identity. However, most early Christian churches are built on pagan shrines, and it seems to be a universal fact of the life of a spiritual building to move through a succession of confessional as well as architectural changes. Ataturk's purpose in changing Hagia Sophia from a mosque to a museum was to make it available to all people on an equal footing and to reify the secular identity of the new state. To me, Hagia Sophia's Christian past seemed very alive, eloquent in the glowing and majestic mosaics. Aurally, it sounded like a museum, full of conversation and camera clicks. One has to listen with the eyes for the sound of Hagia Sophia's Christian and Muslim pasts.