Saturday, December 12, 2009

Hagia Sophia Church

The Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) has been the site of a church or mosque since the fourth Century. The structure pictured and still standing was the third such church built on this site. Originally the largest Christian Church in the world, built by Emperor Justinian, this was a place of Christian worship for one thousand years. This was the spot where a thousand years of Emperor coronations were . Until the Ottomans captured Constantinople, removed the Christian elements and frescos were placed over the Christian icons (see picture of uncovered images of Jesus). It became Ayasofya (Holy Wisdom Mosque) in the mid 1400s. It remained an active Mosque until 1935 when Ataturk designated it a museum.

We are having an incredible time with wonderful hosts learning much about Islam and Christianity, making friends along the way.

5 comments:

Monique said...

This trip sounds wonderful and powerful, Brady. We are praying for you and the group. I can't wait to hear about the similarities that Christianity and Islam have, much more than I think many realize.
I appreciate the blog, with the awesome pictures too.

Unknown said...

Hagia Sophia is a great buildig.
Pics are great.

Anonymous said...

What wonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing. I'm new at "blogging" and came across your page. I was surprised and happy to find out you work at ACU. It turns out, my daughter is currently attending ACU. She's extremely happy there and so am I.

I look forward to continue reading your posts!

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