The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-08
MAY PLANT CROSS
ON SAINT SOPHIA
Byzantine Edi6ce Where
Their Forefathers Were
Made Christians is Goal

Sofia, Nov. s.-When the war with
Turkey was declafed. the one thought
that sprang into the minds Of every
Bulgarian soldier was, AT last we will
plant h cross once more on the dome
of h Divine WISDOM" They thought
Of this because since childhood they
had learned to look upon this aspira-
ton as the highest afforded by their
ideals.
Every Bulgarian child is taught in
his history class that in the tenth CEN
fury his Slav ancestors We're still pa
Sans. and that the Greeks, then the
most powerful nation. were urging
them to join Christianity. About the
middle of that century a dcputation
of Bulgarian grandees We're invited to
Constantinople by the Byzantine en-
peror. They had hardly set foot In
the imperial city when they were hur-
ried to the famous church of St. So
phia to attend divine service. Such
vas the impression made on the minds
OF ne sturdy srandees by the splendor
of the celebration that. without watt
ing tor further persuasion, they re-
turned home in haste. and being adj
United before their IS emperor, the
Spokesman of the party expressed him.
self in words akin to these:
We have obeyed you in proceeding
to Constantinopla. where we we're taxi
en- to the church of st. Sophia i'm
mediately upon our arrival. This
church is n celestial spot on this earth.
The sights that enchanted our eyes
n the music that charmed our ears
therein could not have originated on
earth. We therefore cannot doubt that
these Byzantincs are followers of the
only true creed. in which We ourselves
arc nov devout believers"
The Bulgarian king is said to have
been profoundly impressed by the re-
marks of his emissaries. and forthwith
embraced christianity.
Thus runs the legend Of tho conver-
sion of the Bulgarians to- the faith of
the cross. Hence 1t is that the name
Of st. Sophia has more than a PASSING
lure to them. Nine centuries have
elapsed since hat event. It's emo
however. has not been dimmcd by the
shadow of all these passing years. Nor
could forsctfulness have beer in the
ascendant. since throughout all this
period the supreme head of the Bull.
gartan church. the exarch as he Is
called. has always resided in the CAPT
tai of the sultans. Not even when the
kingdom was freed from the Turkish
yoke in 1873 was the exarchate re-
moved to q Bulgarian city. No won
del then that these valiant peasant
OF the Balkans look upon his war as
holy.
Relics Of Many Temples Here.
This famous church. one Of the
most remarkable monuments of the
genius of christianity. stands in the
midst Of a strictlygMohammedan quar-
ter in the heart of Constantjnople
Since the day on which Byzance fell
into the hands of the Turks, its walls
have %resonnded with the chant of the
muezzin and the monotonous recital of
the Koran instead of the melodio,s
Greek liturgy sung according to the
orthodox rites.
The edificc was built in the first half
OF the sixth century on the Augustcum
which was - spacious court. on one
side of which lay the palace of the
byzantine cmperors. 1t is unique IN
the annals of architecture. The whole
known world of the time was ransack.
ed for richie for It. From ancien,
Ephesus the city magistrates sent q