Hagia Sophia, one of the most important symbols of Istanbul, is a masterpiece that has survived for 1500 years. This structure, which has hundreds of years of history, is extremely important both architecturally and religiously. It is said that this building, which has been very important for Christians and Muslims since the day it was built, contains various secrets. The doors of Hz. Many legends are told, such as the traces of Mary’s tears, the work of extraordinary beings in its construction, and the devil being imprisoned in Hagia Sophia.
Located on the historical peninsula of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I between 532-537. 10 thousand workers worked in its construction and completed the structure in 5 years. In addition to being the first major structure built in such a short time, it is the oldest cathedral in the world. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet. It was converted into a museum with the Decree of the Council of Ministers published by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1934. In 2020, it was brought back to the status of a mosque and opened for worship.
Hagia Sophia was built 3 times before it took its current form. Today’s 3rd Hagia Sophia has been the center of the religious life of Istanbul, which was the capital of both the Roman and Ottoman Empires. The construction of the first Hagia Sophia church was started by Constantine I. It was completed and opened to worship by his son Konstantios MS. It happened in 360. This church, called Megalo Ecclesia, was built in AD. It was burned and destroyed in the popular uprising in 404. Second Hagia Sophia, Emperor II. It was built by Theodosius in 415. It was destroyed during the Nika Revolt in 532 AD during the reign of Emperor Justinian.
Legends Told About Hagia Sophia
There are various legends about Hagia Sophia, which means “Holy Wisdom”. One of these legends is the story of the priest who disappeared with the Holy Grail during the conquest of Istanbul. According to the legend; A priest preaching in Hagia Sophia disappeared through a door to prevent the Holy Grail from falling into the hands of the Muslims. Seeing the priest pass through the door, the Muslims ran after him, but the door turned into a flat wall. According to belief; When Istanbul is taken back by the Christians, the door will open and the priest will continue his sermon.
According to the Christian belief, St. Jesus will descend to Hagia Sophia in the world after 40 thousand years. For this reason, Hz. The pilgrimage and nails on which Jesus was crucified were brought from Jerusalem and kept in a secret compartment in Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia has 361 majestic gates. Gate 101, which is larger than the others, is believed to be talismanic. According to what is told, these doors increase by 1 each time they are counted. The blessed door in Hagia Sophia is Hz. It is believed that it was made from the woods of Noah’s ark.
After the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque, many Islamic motifs were added to create an Islamic temple atmosphere. The most important of these is the verse “God is the light of the heavens and the earth” written on the dome of Hagia Sophia. Also, St. Plates on which the names of the 4 caliphs were written, along with Muhammad, were placed. These plates are large enough to pass through the doors of Hagia Sophia. These plates were tried to be removed when they were to be turned into a museum, but they could not be removed despite great efforts. The plaques were built inside the mosque, larger than the entrance doors, so that they could not be removed from Hagia Sophia and turned into a church again.
It is said that the date of the apocalypse is written on one of the columns in Hagia Sophia. Hz. This date, which is believed to have been written by Hızır, is “18th Day of the Year 1038”.
The weeping pole in Hagia Sophia, in ancient times, was Hz. It is said to be in the house of the Virgin Mary. Hz. Hearing that Jesus was captured and tortured, Hz. Meryem burst into tears and these tears melted the column. Later, while Hagia Sophia was being built, the column was brought and the church was blessed with this column. Today, visitors He makes a wish by touching the hole that is thought to have been formed by the tears of the Virgin Mary. Today, this column is also known as the “Wish Column”.
In the middle of Hagia Sophia’s qibla doors, there is a coffin of Queen Sofia. There are 4 angel figures on the coffin, including Azrael, Gabriel, Mikail and Israfil. It is believed that if the coffin is moved, Hagia Sophia will be destroyed.
There are fish figures in front of the Emperor’s gate in Hagia Sophia. It is told that during the conquest of Istanbul, the priests in Hagia Sophia fried fish and the fish in the pan turned into stone by jumping from the hot oil.
For this reason, Hz. It is said that by the order of the Prophet Solomon, giants, three letters and many extraordinary beings helped to carry the columns. It is even said that the handprint found on one of the domes on the southeast side was created by the giant when he hit that column, saying “Let me leave my mark”. After the conquest of Mehmet the Conqueror, this legend changed to the way that Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s horse reared and hit this column because of his fear.
According to the narrations; After conquering Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmet wanted to perform the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia. During the prayer he was imam, his prayer was broken twice. However, he was able to lead the prayer after the third takbir. When asked the reason for this; “I wanted the Kaaba to be visible to me and the whole congregation during prayer! With this intention, when the Kaaba did not appear in the first and second takbirs, I broke the prayer, but the third takbir came before my eyes.” gave the answer. His teacher Akşemseddin explained the event as follows; “Mr. While Khidr was coming to keep his line, he stuck his finger in the Weeping Column of the Virgin Mary and turned the direction of Hagia Sophia towards the qibla. After that, he stopped to pray. Thus, after the sultan uttered takbir for the third time, he saw the Kaaba directly in front of him.”
Fatih Sultan Mehmet gave the task of transforming Hagia Sophia into a mosque to his teacher Akşemseddin. No progress was made in the mosque, which was tried to be brought up for the Friday prayer, no matter how much effort was made. Upon this, Aksemseddin prayed to Allah, thinking that the devil was giving delusions to the workers. Thereupon, Allah imprisoned the devil in a marble in Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia in 1264 Hz. The Deisis Mosaic with the figure of Jesus was made. In the mosaic, Hz. Due to the scar on the right eyebrow of the Jesus figure, this figure is the real Prophet. It is said that there is no Jesus. The scar marks the number 11. It is known that this sign belongs to Apollon, Member of the Pythagorean Sect. The Pagans, who were forcibly converted to Christianity, gave the mosaic to Hz. It is thought that they depicted Apollo instead of the figure of Jesus.
It is claimed that there are tunnels under Hagia Sophia. In 1998, these tunnels were entered for the first time and records were kept. It is not known exactly how far these tunnels, some of which are quite narrow, extend. It is thought that the tunnels, which were used as secret passages, were closed when Istanbul was besieged.
