The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-12-23
ZINC Mssa,ic Of 81. sonbia.

Y
by President Hamlin.
l am going to try to interest YOU in n
building this afternoon. | know that
1t 10 n great deal easier to get interested
In persons than in buildings, but this
building Is interesting for several rea-
sons. First, because IL Is the oldest
place of worship In the world that is
standing just as II was built. There
may be portions of temples and places
of worship standing, but this structure
stands as Il was built thirteen hundred
and fifty years ago, In spite of earth
quakes, wars and simoons. You would
feel that 1t was place of worship as
soon rs you step inside. This building
has had less repair than almost any
building know of.
Secondly, will speak of persons con-
nected with this building.
The first was Constantine the Great,
who caused 1t to be built in the fourth
century, about the year 1924.
Constantine the Great, although he
was the first Christian emperor, was
not o good man. He put to death his
son, his mother, his wife and lots of
nephews and other relations. He made
reign was noble. bnt ha ao,..;a..a y
he grew old Ho Sad;e o ueser p. US
to HOLY Wisdom. Altar H. "a So oTpi h;a
nepbew became Emnaran LIS u M n's
called the apostate Emneror uor WAS
been disguised with Copsten,,na,s av VIZ
of rulinv. he deinrn,;,oS way
idoiatry. lie did not dare begin this
So he made his fret ot,on, aeou,iiV ~,
temple of Diana Mt Enbos,s ~ n .ne
a great DISPLAY and Ike ,'a,,,, uo hau
ont. and consecra,od ,ho .Y were
Sun. He was n liter.r, .enmpie 20 the
philosopher. He wrote On ~, anu u
chanted by the muItitn5a ,u ho " ~, 70
temple was consecrated W1en t .hs
day came all The neonIe hooo, aen sne
a psalm beginning, "Cursed be ali thew
who worship craven images.U Ono
old man brought goose and that vas
the only offering made that time Find.
ing that paganism had utterly died ont
OF the hearts of the people he dec;Sed
to restore the Jewish worsbip. and fried
to rebuild the Jewish temple in .Jerusa.
lem, but tradition saws that when Tho
workmen tried to work fire came ont
of the earth; but be that AZ II NAV be
never built the temple, He died f,on,
sword thrust in his side.
In $50 Archbishop Chrysostom hooon
to preach in st. Sophia. He tr;oJ -
win the people back to the old form ~
worship. He was yerv nonnl.r ana
preached to q conpreGation oS e,n,u
10000 to $4,000. The emnress wos tha
ruling power at this time and sho ,1o W"
thoroughly bad woman. She fonnd 90 of
that he was getting to be very nonon
full and that he preached sermons abont
her wicked habits. She couldn't stand
it, 30 she got him banished. but The
people rose in rebellion and pot hold
of some of those who had helned 70
send him off, and killed quite n npmhor
of them aud burned their hopses Sha
was frightened SO badly that sio Ia
him called back. He was reccive Cd n ua,
great JOY by the people. He never
wavered from his course a hairs
breadth. The next time she succeeded
in getting him banished she tried 70
have him treated so badly on the wav
that he should die before he got to the
mountains where he was going. Soon
after he got there he began IN write
letters to the priests and bisbons. The
Empress found ont that he wos more
powerful IN the mountains than in tho
church and that he was directing every.
thing, so she ordered him To he norod
from this place on the mountains ~ a
town on the Black Sea. He was forco5
to travel this distance on foot In ,,;nt"a
and weakened as he was hv hor% %,h.r'
and ill-treated on the wsv w u;H,ps,
clothing or food, he gave ont ",' i;..1l
while before he came 10 Tho and LILLE .tt;e
journey. He was put into q. litti a " o nis
room, about eight feet bv e;obt , DtGne
was followed ont of n Largo 6ny,, Mhicn
the bed of a stream. It was ;ntondo ~
tor tomb. His bones were h rom,.
back to st. Sophia, and the con of sha
Empress who had banisbed hin " , une
compelled to kneel down before ,h we
and beg the pardon of the Virgin en- ,me nn
the sins of his mother. Whan , WI aIi
ostom was exiled ST. Sonh;o Ohlys-
burned. At that time nj, tho on was
trail dome was rooted with wo 1a, cen,
with the doors and windo ~s thor anu
a great deal to burn' Tic 'I LII. was
had it rebuilt. II Was hnrn empress
under Justinian, who was the anfhor
of the Justinian code of laws. Ha1d;d
more for Vermont than apv other n,an
This man had two finc v aroh;, man'
He called them and said That hs o waeso;
them 10 rebuild st, Sonh;a "o W. Man a;i
he would give them ali tba m.,on; e sal9
he wanted them TO bniId f. sn anu
earthquakes could not shake e. LUG.
and there was to be notbin~ that u oo'e,5
burn except the doors. Ua comno voll1
that every fame i'm the wor,d aa
give some material for this hr ;hUuiu
There is one large dome IN ,bo ai,ong.
and two half domes over Tho Ae s; Cen'er
this. The walls OF this bniId;n ues .u .,
made of brick laid In deem mnse are
cased with marble with ,hao o'ar, ana
between the blocks 70 a,no o ~ VI ieau
ture elasticity enough that U wh sno s s.rac-
quakes shook II. n shonId, wnen eartn-
n;o. ~ ~ ohoulunt crack to