Dan Brown’s latest novel "Inferno" sends protagonist Robert Langdon (rumored to soon be played by Tom Hanks again) to Constantinople and to Agia Sophia. The plot begins to unfold on page 334. Brown’s tweedy Harvard iconographer Robert Langdon turns to Sienna Brooks – a British-born misfit genius who gallops around the world with him in his adventures – that they are "in the wrong country”. And off they go to Turkey and to Constantinople. Once there, and under the gilded dome of the cathedral-mosque-museum of Agia Sophia, we learn that the traditions of East and West are not as divergent as we might think.
His choice to focus on the mysteries of Agia Sofia are surely plenty. The dome and minarets of this sacred site are the symbols of Constantinople. This is the only building in the world to have served as a Catholic Cathedral and as the seat of two religions, Greek Orthodox Christianity and Sunni Islam and before all of that even paganism.
The building which we all see today is to a great extent, despite the rebuilding work carried out after regular earthquakes, the building that was consecrated on December 27th, 537 by Roman Emperor Justinian. It would be the greatest church in Christendom for a thousand years, until St. Peter’s in Rome was completed.
Agia Sophia’s massive dome and gigantic proportions were believed by many to have been the work of the divine. It heavily influenced the architecture of mosques and churches and it’s grandeur was said to have led Russia to convert to Orthodox Christianity, over Catholicism.
Relics such as the shroud of Mary, nails from the true cross and the tombstone of Jesus were some of its treasures, until the city was ransacked during the Fourth crusade.
The secrets of Agia Sophia are as follows:
- The current building of Agia Sophia is the third structure constructed at the exact same location. After the construction of the first two, this “great church” (Megale Ekklesia) was constructed. It wasn’t called Agia Sophia at first; it was actually called the Great Church for a long time.
- Agia Sophia is The East Roman Patriarchate Church. St. Sinod Assembly had been convened at the rooms located in the South front aisle of the Agia Sophia.
- The second Agia Sophia’s West wall ground work are available for viewing, and some monumental parts of it welcome the visitors with lambs that symbolize the apostles.
- In addition to Agia Sophia’s main construction, two other buildings that are predicted to be baptisteries and that date back much longer than the main construction itself exist. One of these is located in the northeast and is referred to as the treasure building, whereas the other baptistery is located in the southwest.
- The Agia Sophia includes pieces belonging to Anatolian and Middle Eastern civilizations that date back to the Eastern Roman period, Western Roman period and even the Pagan period. These include the Beautiful Door dating back to second century B.C from Tarsus as well as cubes, countless columns, marbles and many more artifacts from the Hellenistic period.
- The Agia Sophia includes not only priests and patriarchs but also a monastery, situated close to the main courtyard, where many priests resided.
- The main ground where Agia Sophia rests has been elevated with the remains from old buildings and construction residue, and the square rests on a foundation of several civilizations’ remains.
- The Agia Sophia is the site where Byzantine Emperors were crowned. They would be welcomed by the patriarch and crowned in a designated area within the church naos.
- All the mosaics within the Agia Sophia contain human figures and date back to 842 A.D. All pieces from previous periods have been destroyed due to iconoclasm.
- Particular pieces within the Agia Sophia were taken outside of Turkey during different periods and are now being exhibited in various museums in Europe.
Divers Attempt to Unravel Mysteries Beneath Agia Sophia
Goksel Gulensoy tried to reveal the hidden secrets of Agia Sophia lying beneath the surface in his new documentary. Along with a team of two divers and four spelunkers they dove in the waters under this historical for Christianity Church to learn more about the reservoirs which are connected to Topkapi Palace and Underground Cistern.
Although he began his studies in 1998, he was only able to complete his 50 minute documentary (titled In the Depths of Agia Sophia) in 2009.
He was the first to explore the reservoir close to the entrance, (which is apparently 12 meters deep). While investigating the area, the divers discovered two thick pieces of wood as well as a bucket which they claim turned into dust when they were touched.
In the second reservoir the divers found a dozen flasks that were dated from 1917, glass from chandeliers, a chain with two rings and various pieces of stained glass.
The International Speleological Society of Bogazici then began searching of the tunnels under the main hall of Agia Sophia. They found two stone tunnels towards to Sultanahmet Square and Topkapi Palace. Both ends of the tunnel split into two after 50 meters but the passages were blocked.
One member of the search team, Aydin Menderes, moved towards the direction of Topkapi Palace until he spotted daylight between the stones. He then used a pen camera and saw that he had reached the palace yard. He then returned to enter yet another tunnel which led to two more rooms.
While there, he discovered various broken jugs and the remains that are expected to belong to the grave site of St Antinegos who was the first to be buried in Agia Sophia. At the same time they also apparently found the remains of Patriarch Athanasius.
References - OCC247 and the National Turk
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