Hagia Sophia, Trabzon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Hagia Sophia (disambiguation).

Hagia Sophia museum, Trabzon, 2002

The Hagia Sophia (Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, meaning "Holy Wisdom"; Turkish: Ayasofya), now the Hagia Sophia Museum, is a former church and mosque located in the city of Trabzon in the north-eastern part of Turkey. It dates back to the 13th century when Trabzon was the capital of the Empire of Trebizond. It is located near the seashore and 2 miles west of the Comnenon fortress. It is one of a few Byzantine sites still existent in the area.

The Hagia Sophia church was built in Trapezunt during the reign of Manuel I between 1238 and 1263. After Mehmed II conquered the city in 1461 the church was converted into a mosque. During the brief period of the city in Russia's hands during World War I, the site was used by the Russian military as a makeshift hospital and depot. Afterwards it was put back into use as a mosque, until 1964 when it was turned into a museum which it remains to this day. From 1958-64 the site was restored with the help of Edinburgh University and the General Directorate of Foundations.

The Hagia Sophia is an important monument of the late Byzantine architecture, being characterised by a high central dome and the four large column arches supporting the weight of the dome and ceiling. The church was built according to the plan of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople but in a smaller size. It has the shape of a cross and is 22 metres long, 11.6 metres wide and 12.7 metres tall. The ornamenting and art inside and outside the church reflects the periods of both Byzantine and Ottoman reign. The late 13th-century frescos, revealed during the most recent restoration, illustrate the New Testament themes, while external stone ornamenting is in keeping with local traditions of Islamic art.

In the center of the floor of the church there is an exceptional paved mosaic with many beautiful multicolored stones. The author Texier visited Trebizond in 1836 and in his book "Byzantine Architecture" London 1864 he says....

"The beautiful mosaic floor at the center of the church can be considered one of the most extraordinary examples of the Byzantine marble mosaics which has survived until the present, perhaps the finest now in existence."

The historian Finley (1850) described the mosaic floor fairly fully in his manuscript journal. He says...

"The pavement under the dome is richly worked in porphyry serpentine colored and gilt glass and most firmly cemented. This is true Byzantine style though better executed than usual"

West of the church and 24 meters in distance there is a tower 40 meters in height. It was built in 1427. Many originally believed that this was the steeple of the church. But it is well known that at the time there were no bells in Trebizond. There were bells only at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. In Trebizond they used to strike the wooden semantra to mark the most important points of the divine liturgy.

From the ruins of the Hagia Sophia monastery it is recognized that the tower was a part of the monastery. The inside of the tower was full of excellent frescoes.