This was the only day on the whole trip that I wasn't wearing enough clothing. It was COLD inside these old mosque/churches. I've got lots of very short film clips for Aya Sofya (below). I also have a video blog entry overview of the whole day. Not sure if that is best viewed at the beginning or the end, so I'll post it in both places, as the day had several major components, and Aya Sofya is only part 1! I remember thinking that Aya Sofya wasn't quite as splendid as I had imagined it would be. Perhaps all the scaffolding in the middle, or the fact that it wasn't in use as worship space, as fellow-travelley Emilie has also proposed in her blog. Or maybe, too, it was the fact that my historical imagination is a bit... challenged. The size of the dome roof, built in the 7th century, remained the very largest until sometime in the 15th century, but since here we are in the 21st century, and I had the glorious chance to go to Italy last year, hey, I've seen some other domes that big. I think my favorite part may have been standing on the spot where the Empress would sit when she attended the services, and trying to imagine what that would have been like.
With my future in ministry (insha'Allah), I also appreciated with some irony the copious synod notes written on gigantic stone tablets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXLNJ7zoNcQSorry for the parts where the page gets messy. When I choose "preview" it looks nothing like what posts on the final page. A bit frustrating! But at least I can share my footage with you, dear reader!
Something else I enjoy about the video, is you can hear the silence, and the echoes, and the occasional voices in familiar and unfamiliar tongues. My favorite clips below are marked with an asterisk (*). Here's a summary of the day I made after sundown, or you can save it for after the feast at Asitane (several blog pages from now):
A seagull summary of the day (after napping)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI8wzTEO-9YPerry keeps track of the pilgrims*:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUaKiKPX1q4Group logistics at Ayasofya:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r5FAStv1ss
Mike's photo of me on the stairs -- preacher, tourguide, goofball. As we say at SKSM, "it's a both/and!" outside ayasofya 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mG3_a_L8Ikoutside ayasofya 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k--RezvE5UI12th century synod minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXLNJ7zoNcQI love the way that marble wears over the centuries. Those are stories I understand!
shiny wavy marble floor arasofya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCLaSi1LtLsimperial door
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCV3zc3532oshams walks thru the imperial door as Darcy narrates* (thanks, Darce!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-XpdQkJ7w8interior ayasofya 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebXqyWy30-Ulacy columns, mary and baby jee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MSL-z96gxE
stained glass*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlNPTNmxZkIGabriel*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvmhGH-JcW8mimbar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MkEUKlwX34more meembar (that's just really fun to say!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuZ3NJIcg9Y&feature=channel_pageseraphim, I think
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BStcWeeXedc&feature=channel_pageReally large marble jar really old purple column
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oMuU2gTYTs&feature=channel_pageabout the column; it narrates itself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFn5tPVLWTE&feature=channel_pagematching jar on other side of room (carved from one block of marble!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdustNVVIYk&feature=channel_pageubiquitous friendly strays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oypwtRDU5U4&feature=channel_page4 seraphim* These reminded me of all the images from Italy of the holy spirit as a bird with a similar glow at the center. The glow always calls to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhnEgJphf00Peace Mudra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58pGCvv5f8wwear and tear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PP2GRg20F4how we get to the next level*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoL9IufQ6_kout the window up the walls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9KJRJ7ITQinteresting header and many patterns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUyoaVTVklArius Glenn and Athanasius Cassie come from synod*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MWgiZTWMy4mosaic crumbling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdOTo3n6iXAmore mosaics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdFESb911cA2nd cent BCE bronze door and more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvqlsMOGPUo
Driving back from Asitane to Hotel Arcadia, Ibrahim points out some tombs of Companions.
Chora Church Museum in Istanbul is another place where Christianity and Islam seem to be heavily entwined. As we first enter the grounds, we find a tomb for a companion of The Prophet (saws), as well as a tomb for a former tomb-tender.
Inside the church, mosaics tell stories of Jesus and Mary. I was charmed by this one, which goes back a generation to: The Birth of Mary, featuring her mother Hannah or Anne, depending on your tradition. The folds of the gown seemed particularly suggestive to me of images from older Goddess traditions.
This is a really good page in which to make sure that you are selecting "watch in high quality" on the youtube screen (bottom right under the photo on youtube page). It makes a big difference in being able to make out the icons and inlay, etc, inside the church.
The video I'd like to highlight from this part of the day is a wonderful demonstration of the gifts of our Professor, Ibrahim Farajaje. In it, he talks to us about the iconography inside the church, relates it to Rebecca Parker and Rita Brock's book, Saving Paradise, and goes into inter-relationships and overlaps of veneration between this Christian iconography and practices in local Turkish Islam.
There is only a little video from this portion of the journey, and I think it's all worthwhile if you have interest:
Usually trying to eat fish with their heads still attached freaks me out, but since I had already witnessed a cow sacrifice that day, this seemed pretty low stress!!
