Within the Hagia Sophia there was a large collection of holy relics, displayed all around and a 49 ft. silver iconostasis. An Iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave, which is the main body of the church, from the sanctuary. Relics usually consist of physical remains or the personal effects of a saint or venerated person, preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are also an important feature in many different forms of religion such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Shamanism. In Catholic theology sacred relics were not to be worshiped, as they believed that only god should be worshiped and adored. At the beginning there were no processes to authenticate the relics that were being used as displays. Due to this, forgeries began to circulate and a lot of collectors were swindled into buying fake holy relics. The existence of counterfeit relics forced the Church to begin regulating their use and authenticity. Relics are now required to be sealed in a reliquary, and accompanied by a certificate of authentication signed and sealed by someone in the Congregation of Saints or by the local Bishop where the saint lived. If the holy relic is not properly authenticated then it cannot be used for public veneration.

Some of the more famous holy relics that have been housed in the Hagia Sophia are the Shroud of Mary, Nails from the true cross and the tombstone of Jesus. These relics were removed when the church was ransacked at the time of the fourth crusade.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic

http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/hagia-sophia-istanbul-secrets-god-003133?page=0%2C1

Photo Sources:

http://www.livius.org/a/turkey/istanbul/hagia_sophia/istanbul_hagia_sophia_nave_entrance_1.JPG

 

BASILICA

The term basilica (term is greek derived) refers to a large an important church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope. Roman Catholic basilicas are Catholic pilgrimage sites, meaning they receive tens of millions of visitors per year. Below is a picture of St Peters Basilica in Vatican City. It is a major basilica of the Roman Catholic Church.

Initially basilicas were used for business and had no religious function at all in Roman times. The oldest known basilicas date back to 184 BC in Rome.

Architecture plays a large part in what makes up a basilica. Christians adopted a variation of the basilica for worship. It usually consisted of a central nave (hallway) with an aisle on each side. An altar on a platform was placed at the front of the hall for the clergy to officiate services. In most basilicas, the central nave is taller than the aisles, forming a row of windows called a clerestory. Below is a basic drawing that shows the structural elements of a gothic basilica.

The reason this term is important to our topic is because Hagia Sophia is a former Christian Patriarchal Basilica (church) that is located in Istanbul, Turkey. Is was the largest cathedral until the early 1500’s. It was built in 537 and is labeled famously as having Byzantine Architecture because it was built during the reign of Constantinople during the Roman Empire. It is well know for its massive dome.

Timeline:

537-1453: Orthodox Cathedral

1453-1931: Mosque

1935-present day: Museum

Below is a picture of Hagia Sophia.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia