February, 1903.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



27 



enlightened secularism. These were the developments of 

 Protestant germs. In John Henry Newman the sturdy 

 Huguenot stock may not seem to have been prepotent ; 

 but the priest who denounced the "insolent and aggressive 

 faction " that forced on an Ecumenical Council the 

 definition of the dogma of Papal infallibility, like the 

 cardinal who kej^t the Decline and Fall constantly on his 

 desk, must have remained a Protestant at heart. 



ST. SOPHIA, CONSTANTINOPLE. 



By E. M. Antoniadi, p.b.a.s. 

 Uludrated from original drawings hy the Autlior. 



Inteoductoet. 



Theee is much to attract the archaeologist in the city of 

 Coustantine. Gigantic ruins of land and sea walls ; 

 towers jjicturesquely invaded by luxuriant vegetation, and 

 cracked by frequent earthquakes in a geologically wavering 

 soil ; imposing remains of once garish palaces ; magnificent 

 churches, often preserved intact ; monumental aqueducts ; 

 vast cisterns ; and inextricable subterranean labyrinths, 

 are as many fascinating subjects of study to the inquisitive 

 mind. 



During his long stay in Constantino]ile, the writer took 

 some interest in archseology, but only as a recreation from 

 biisiness and astronomical observations. It was at once 

 felt, however, that the subject of Byzantine antiquities, as 

 a whole, was too vast to be seriously undertaken ; and that 

 the justification for any claims to originality in the final 

 results involved a strict specialisation of the enquiry in a 

 limited domain of mediaeval Greek architecture. 



St. Sophia, the splendid cathedral, and now the great 

 mosque of Constantinople, presented a particular attraction 

 to the writer through the mystery veiling its former 

 condition, and, especially, its inner division as a Christian 

 church. Prom 1889 to 1893, he visited that celebrated 

 shrine hundreds of times, and took accurate plans, sections 

 and elevations of it, as well as a very large number of 

 drawings of its appearance. These data have been 

 further completed and checked by photography ; so that 

 the ec|uipment for understanding the text of the Greek 

 historians in the light of the present building was as 

 satisfactory as could reasonably be expected. 



Much assistance was received at the time from the late 

 Canon Curtis, of the Crimean Memorial Church, Con- 

 stantinople ; while the disinterested willingness of tlie 

 Turkish guides of the mosque in giving honest and 

 valuable information was most welcome and gratifying. 



Historical Notices. 



The foundation of a church dedicated to the Holy 

 Wisdom, or to Christ himself, is attributed to Ctmstantine 

 the Great. It appears that the structure was begun 

 towards 326 a.d., and that its dedication did not take 

 ]il:ici' before 360, in the reign of Coustantius. The form 

 of the first church was that of the basilica type, probably 

 with three naves covered with barrel vaults, the central 

 vault resting on two rows of columns. Burned partly by 

 the partisans of St. John Chrysostom, who was banished 

 IVoiii the city in -R)l', and again restored by Tbeodosius 

 Ihe Youiifjer in 41.5, Constantino's church was at last 

 totally destroyed by fire in the Nika riot of 532. 



The (|uell of the rebellion raised Justinian to the acme 

 of jiower. His ambition was to reconstruct the church iu 

 such splendour as to transcend anything over achieved 

 V)efore ; and the unrivalled genius of his architect, 

 Antheuiius of Tralles, enabled the emperor to jiroduce a 



building which, in originality of design, audacity of 

 structure, and gorgeousness of decoration, has never since 

 been equalled, or even approached. It was only thirty- 

 nine days after the fire that Justinian undertook the re- 

 construction, and he pushed the work with such relentless 

 activity, that the present building was completed and 

 opened in the incredibly short space of not even six 

 vears ; the dedication aotuallv taking place on Christmas 

 "Day, 637. 



The 136.5 years separating us from the dedication saw 

 vast changes in the appearanceof the church. In the first 

 place, the original dome, which was twenty feet flatter 



Fio. 1. — St. Sophia at sunset, with light streaming through the 

 Dome. (Appearance of the Mosque towards 1455, at the completion 

 of the Minaret erected by Mohammed II.) 



than the present one, fell in 558 through the effects of 

 repeated earthquakes, and it was thought safer, in its re- 

 construction, to check somehow the thrust by raising the 

 curve to a greater height. The second dedication under 

 Justinian took place once more on Christmas Day, 563, 

 seven years before the birth of Mohammed. 



An adumbration of the subsequent history of St. Sophia 

 may be given as follows : — 



A.D. 620±. At the critical moment of the war between 

 Heraclius and Chosroes the Church comes nobly forward 

 and saves the State, by coining many of the treasures in 

 its possession. 



628. Heraclius lifts iu triumph the wood of the True 

 Cross before the altar of St. Si>i>hia. 



725. Leo the Isaurian issues his first edict against 

 image worship. 



741. Great Earthquake of Constantinople. 



842. End of the Iconoclastic controversy ; triumph of 

 Orthodoxy. 



865. Erection of a belfry near the west front of the 

 church. 



869. Earthquakes ; the vaulting cracks in several places. 



869-870. Eighth (Ec\uu<'nical Synod, held in south aisle 

 of first rtoor level of St. So]iliia. 



875±. Basil the Macedonian, consolidates the great 

 arch to the west by an additional thickness. 



975. A strong earthquake shock causes the western arch 

 of St. Sophia to totter, and to drag the dome in its fall. 



981. Basil II. restores the fallen parts. 



987. The ambassadors of Wladimir are so dazzled by the 

 grandeur of the divine service iu St. Sophia that they 



