HIST 100: Engineering The Past

4.1: Hagia Sophia

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My current topic of choice for this module was the buttresses for the Hagia Sophia. First off let me define what one is, thanks to my lovely sister and her masters degree in architecture, I will never forget what one is. A buttresses in its simplest terms is a sturdy wall a pillar or main section of a building can lean against or apply pressure to, to aid in its support.  In the case of the Hagia Sophia there are four main buttresses and two semi-domes that effectively do the same thing.  The buttresses work in tandem with the semi domes to apply pressure to keep the four main arches together. The main purpose for wanting the arches to stay in the designed shape is so it can support the main dome. If one of the arches were to sway slightly away the main dome would slip off of its fitting and crash. The reason for this to so easily happen is due to the dome sitting on the very edge of each of the four arches. Know that the arches are prone to sway based off of their design, the buttresses and semi domes act almost like a brink and mortar clamp to keep the Hagia Sophia together. Something else that struck my interest was with the modern restoration. the contractors have reverted back to the same brick and mortar method that was done with the main sections of the Hagia Sophia. The reason for reverting back to the older method and why it is beneficial, comes down to the method, the more mortar between bricks the more absorbent it will become. Resulting in the buttresses to become stronger and aid in preventing the main dome from collapsing.

SONY DSC

Amazing photo of the jutting out buttresses and semi dome photo credit to Dave Spender 

 

Sources:

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

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

Shoemaker, Morgan. “Buttresses and Its Uses.” Interview by Jonathan Shoemaker.Web.

 

Muvakkithane (timing room)

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The timing rooms within the Hagia Sophia were prepared for the intent of keeping the time in order to instruct those within of when to pray within their walls. Prayer was integral to the Islamic traditions, which made the muvakkithane (timing room), extremely important to those inhabiting the Hagia Sophia. In part because the Islamic religion centered around praying five times a day, and with the help of time rooms keeping the time, they were able to stay on schedule and pray all five times at the correct times. In all, there are 38 timing rooms held within the Hagia Sophia complex and all were utilized for telling time and most were also used for praying due to the time being kept for that particular reason. Within a muvakkithane (timing room), can be found  muvakkit, also known as a teller of time. These were specially trained individuals whose sole purpose was to stay within the time room and keep the time for everyone else. They were well trained in the science of telling time using cues such as the sun.

As technology has progressed, the muvakkithane (timing rooms), have become less integral a part of buildings due to the invention of clocks and no need to measure the sun to keep the time. Because of this, many of the time rooms have now been utilized for different purposes, some even sold to create cafes or other public meeting places. Many of these timing rooms were the most beautiful parts of the Hagia Sophia.

4.1 Hagia Sophia

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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.

Nave

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