Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia (The Holy Wisdom of Christ) Istanbul, Turkey, 532-537 The church of Hagia Sophia, originally known as the Great Church because of its colossal size in comparison with the other churches of the Capital, was associated with one of the greatest creative ages of man. The Roman methods of engineering, mixed with the assimilation of indigenous traditions were united in the size and awe inspiring magnificence of the Hagia Sofia. It was the most …

…smells and bells of the East. No longer do the cherubim descend to accompany and to praise the Holy Mysteries. The Great Church is little more than a mound of architecturally ordered stones devoid of the life of liturgy. Now the public flock to a new type of liturgy, the worship of the commercial world. People's Sundays are now spent in shopping malls that incorporate something to 'satisfy all' leaving little hope for previous faiths.