Aya Sofya and Chora Church in Istanbul

Immense interior of the 1,500 year old Aya Sofya.

We, like most visitors to Istanbul, toured these two Byzantine monuments.  Both were restored during the 1930s and 1940s by the Byzantine Institute of America.  The founder of the institute was Thomas Whittemore. An American scholar, Whittemore was also a personal friend of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of Turkey. Ataturk wisely proclaimed the Aya Sofya a museum in 1935; the Chora Church became a museum in 1948. 

Side note:The Byzantine Empire was the Greek speaking continuation of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire.  The 1,129 year civilization has been recognized as a supreme power- in military, economic and cultural facets. The empire capital was Constantinople (previously Byzantium, currently Istanbul).  Rulers of the Byzantine Empire (324-1453) included Constantine, Theodosius, Justinian and Andronikos II.  Christianity replaced the Roman polytheism, under Theodosius (ruled 379-395) as the Empire’s official religion. The Byzantine Empire survived the 5^th century fall of the western Roman Empire until falling a 1000 years later to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

 

Aya Sofya interior.

Detail work in Aya Sofya.

Picture of me on the second floor of the Aya Sofya.

The Aya Sofya or in English, the Church of the Divine Wisdom was built under Emperor Justinian’s rule (527-565) in an attempt to restore the greatness of the Empire in 537 AD.  This mammoth Christian church was converted into a mosque about a thousand years later in 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.  About 500 years later, it was proclaimed a museum and the mosaics were restored. Four large Arabic medallions dominate the upper reaches of the structure.  The calligraphy inscribes the  Muslim names Allah, Mohammed, and two other Muslim leaders, Ali and Abu Baker. Christian mosaics include the Madonna and Child, the archangel Gabriel and The Empress Zoe (ruled 1028-50) and her husband.  Empress Zoe, the daughter of Constantine VIII (1025-1028) had 3 husbands. So, the mosaic was changed three times.  The third husband outlived Empress Zoe so his mosaic image remains. Zoe had a younger sister, Theodora, who also ruled the empire from 1042-1056.

Pat and me on the ferry heading up the Golden Horn towards Chora.

City walls courtesy of Theodosius II?

Maybe he knows the way to Chora.

The Chora Church is located in the Western District of Istanbul, a ferry ride down the Golden Horn and a hike up the hill. It is hidden just inside the old city walls. We were finally led to the church by a shoe shine man. The church’s full name was the Church of the Holy Saviour in the Country. Chora in Greek means outside the city or countryside.  The first chapel built on this site was located outside the early city walls of Constantine the Great (ruled 324-337 AD). When Theodosius II (ruled 408-450) rebuilt the walls around 414 AD, the church was located inside the wall.  Despite being located within the city defenses, the church name persisted. The first church was destroyed but rebuilt by Justinianus (ruled 527-567).  Chora was again destroyed during the Latin invasion of 1204-1261 but then repaired during the reign of Andronikos II ( ruled 1282-1328) by Theodore Metochites, a poet and treasury minister.  The mosaics and frescoes we viewed date back to these 14^th century dates.  Theodore is pictured in one of the mosaics, offering the church to Christ. Other mosaics depict the life of Christ and Mary. When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, the church was also converted to a mosque. Restoration by the Byzantine Institute of America uncovered the mosaics and frescoes.

Chora mosaic.