I have long been fascinated by the Hagia Sophia. It was built as the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople between 532 and 537 on the orders of Justinian I. It was used by the Eastern Orthodox church, temporarily by the Roman Catholic Church, and then as an Ottoman mosque before becoming a secular museum. It was dedicated to the Wisdom of God, and is not connected to Sophia the Martyr, even though it is sometimes referred to as Sancta Sophia. At the time it was built, it was the largest building in the world. it was completed in a little under six years, and is considered a feat of engineering genius.
Of course by now you have probably read that sometime in 2020 it will be reopened as a mosque, by a decision signed by Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
From an article in the National Geographic:
"The decision was taken to hand over the management of the Ayasofya Mosque...to the Religious Affairs Directorate and open it for worship,” the decision signed by Erdogan said. Today’s decision, however, does not mean that the Hagia Sophia will immediately close to secular visitors and become a full-time place of worship."
"Nonetheless, it remains unclear to cultural heritage professionals whether the monument will be used only for occasional events or regular observances, and how, if at all, the World Heritage site may be altered or modified."
"...Sharon Gerstel, professor of Byzantine art and archaeology at UCLA, also stresses that while today’s decision has provoked an international outcry, much remains unknown about what next steps may be taken with the status of Hagia Sophia.
"It still remains a symbol for all Orthodox Christians—it's the center to which their compass points,” Gerstel observes. “So any threat to the building will raise a lot of passions."
"...There are also questions regarding the future of the monument’s World Heritage status. "
"In an official statement issued today, UNESCO says it “deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion, to change the status of Hagia Sophia,” noting that the world body had repeatedly shared its concerns with the Turkish government regarding any modifications that would impact the monument’s “outstanding universal value”
"...Today’s decision was seen as a victory for Turkish president Erdogan, who has rejected the secularism of the Turkish Republic and advocates for restoring the great achievements of the Ottoman Empire.
“This is undoing another piece of the secular legacy that he’s wanted to get at,” says Stephen Flanagan, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation who recently authored a report on Turkish nationalism. “It appeals to his more pious and nationalist base.”
A few months ago I listened to a video clip of what a Christian choir would have sounded like 500 years ago. The Capella Romana was able to record it in the Hagia Sophia. Which would likely be impossible now that it is being converted to a mosque.
Click on the article, and then the sound clip. It's only 4 minutes long. I tried to link the video directly, but couldn't get it to work. But it is pretty amazing.
“This is undoing another piece of the secular legacy that he’s wanted to get at,” says Stephen Flanagan, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation who recently authored a report on Turkish nationalism. “It appeals to his more pious and nationalist base.”
ReplyDeleteHuh.
We never have politicians who start cozying up to religious factions to consolidate power.
Does the home country for these World Heritage Sites get any maintenance money or assistance in exchange for agreeing to maintain an official site? I can't help wondering how these designations are made and whether they don't create unnecessary international tension when the home country decides to use them in some way UNESCO doesn't like. I'll have to learn more about this.
From what I am reading the assistance from UNESCO is limited to funds for conservation and protection of a site. I imagine a 1400-plus year old building might need quite a bit of conservation.
DeletePlus it sounds like they were charging admittance to Hagia Sophia as a museum. They don't charge admittance to mosques, so the question is, when it is a mosque does it lose that stream of support? The Turkish government could possibly get stuck with with the whole burden of maintenance for the site.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAt least they're not blowing it up. They're using it as a site of worship, so assume/hope it will be used reverently. Political maneuvers aside, there is a valid argument that the Turks have a right to use their national treasures as they see fit.
DeleteJean, right. I don't object to it being a house of worship again. My objection is to the way it is being carried out. Partially it is political payback to Istanbul for their lack of support for Erdogan (the majority of the people there didn't want the status of their signature landmark changed). Partially it is to score points with Erdogan's base. And partially it is ticking off a personal goal that he has had for years.I
DeleteBut yeah, they aren't going to blow it up. And hopefully they won't damage the Christian art which was there from its beginnings. Previously that had been whitewashed or plastered over, and only fairly recently been uncovered by art conservationists.
I think our "Catholic imaginations" hate to see art of any kind destroyed or fall into disrepair, especially when it links us to a sacred past. Hopefully the conservators did detailed mapping and recording of the works they uncovered against the ravages that may occur with political instability.
DeleteWashington Post's Judith Herrin calls Erdogan's move "an act of cultural cleansing", saying that he is "...trying to reverse his sliding popularity by backing a religious fundamentalism that threatens Turkey's minorities, the country's secular character and Instanbul's historic role as a tolerant metropolis where Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths coexisted for centuries."
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/15/converting-hagia-sophia-into-mosque-is-an-act-cultural-cleansing/
Ms. Herrin is also emeritus Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies and Constantine Leventis Senior Research Fellow at King's College London.
I get the part about not wanting to see art and a historical heritage damaged or destroyed. But I am more worried about people; what happens to minorities or groups which are out of favor under a creeping dictatorship.
DeleteWhat Erdogan has needed is curbing. What he got from the former leader of the free world was a hunting license to go after Kurds who were fighting on the side of the former leader of the free world. "What would America do?" used to have some restraining influence on the world's nutty egomaniacs. It is bad enough that we lost that moral/economic authority, but now that we are one of Them, we only look up from the 10th hole and shrug, and maybe say an encouraging word in a phone call later.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, if concentration camps are good enough for Uigers, who cares about an old church -- unless maybe it can be developed into another high-end resort hotel.
It can be branded a Trump Tower! Then the Orange A$$hat can get some of the admission fees.
Delete