, 1877-11-24
THE MOsLEM TEMPLE,

| THE GREAT CHURCH AT CoNSrANrINoPLE.
There is belief of long standing among
the Greeks OF Constantinople that the Church
oi Sancta SnphIa-nOw moSquc-shall be
! restored To Christianity. This grand build.
ing. which covers about 20, 600 square feet
more than one and half acres was erected
by Justlnian IN the sixth century. 1t WAS
| eight years IN building, and when st last it
stood complete, ii appeared so marvellous in
the eyes of all who looked on it that it WAS
! generally believed not only that an angel had
| gwen the plan, but that Heaven had rained
J goid and gems for the express purpose of
It's construction. The nobleSt temples of
Greece and Asia were despoiied, and pillars
OF the most precious marbles were brought
to ConStantlnoplc. Ephesus, Pergamus.
Baalbec gave up their treasures and masses
of Egyptian porphry and of sycnite, which
centuries before had been hewn for the honor
OF Zeus and Of Artemis, took their places In
the srea. Christian church.
It was the boast of Justinian that he had
eXceiled the Temple at Jerusalem. Il have
surpassed thee, o Solomon" he exclaimed.
as he gazed ON the completed building, and
IL Is said that he caused a statute of solomon
to be erected opposite the church, with an
size and beauty OF Justinian's work"
Earthquakes shook the church within q
few years OF Its completion. The great domo
fell, and was restored by younger IsidoTus,
nephew Of the meehanieian." Repairs
were made to the fabric by successive En-
perors; but the design was never altered, and
there were no additions. Then came the
fatal May Of 1903. At)the high altar of st.
Sophia, Constantine received the Holy Sacra-
ment during the night before the great as.
sault MAY 10Th, In which he fell As the
news spread that the MOhammedans had
made their way into the city, the old awe
and veneration which had spread sort of
mystery round st. Sophia returned. Sena-
tors, priests, monks and nuns FASTENED to
take refuge within its walls, recalling an
ancient tradition that an angel would de-
scend 1T the moment when the intidals were
advancing toward the column of Constan-
time the Great, and, putting sword into the
hand Of 4 certain man who wOuld be sitting
ut the base OF the column would order him
IL a,enge the people of God whereupon the
Turks, seized with panic, would take flight
to the borders of Persia.
But 10 such heavenly aid came to the
twenty Thousand people who crowded St
Sophia Alaholnet on entering the city rode
straight to the great church. Men, women
and children We're divided among the soldiers
as slaves and all the furniture, plate and
ornaments disappeared 50 quickly that, in
the words of Finlay, 1.-THE mighty temple
soon presented few traces of having beer q
Christian church" Mahomet himself was.
it Is said, greatly impressed with the rich
marbles and the general splendor of the
place. He caused the muezzins who were
with him to summon the troops to prayer,
and his own prayer carpet was spread on
the high altar There the .'Son of Iniquity,"
as the Christian Ducas called him, announced
that the orthodox Greek Empire was extinct;
AMI from that time the church of Justinian
has served rs the chief mosque Of the city.
The various Christian emblems were COW
cred with plaster and thin coats of paint,
and mos5,ics, which could have offended no
one, were afterwards treated III similar
fashion Large and heavy exterior buttresses,
rendered necessary, 1t Is asserted, by the
shock of earthquakes, were added by Selim
ii and Amurath III but what might be
considered 4 fortunate neglect was more OF
less the fate OF st Sophia until lS47, when
it was placed In repair by the Italian archi-
feet Foscati, at the instance Of the Sultan
ABDUL Meiid His work lasted through two
years, and was completed under great diff
cuIties. Only the zeal of Reschid Pasha, it
is said. enabled him to bring 1t to a success
fuI end