Thursday, December 23, 2010

Hagia Sophia

Today the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church remembers the first Patriarchal See, the Hagia Sophia, located in Constantinople (now called Istanbul under Muslim invaders).


The Hagia Sophia, Ἁγία Σοφία in Greek, which means "Holy Wisdom." The full name in Greek being Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, "Church of the Holy Wisdom of God." From the day of its dedication in 360 AD until 1453 AD it served as the Patriarchal Church for the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. However, during the years 1204 through 1261 when Latin Papists attacked Constantinople and sacked the Holy Church and installed a heretical patriarch.  


It was the largest Cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years.  Now, because of the Muslim occupation of the land, it has been turned into a museum, although it is under the protection of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.


The Hagia Sophia is an important piece of history in terms of not only Byzantine architecture but also it's significance to the Holy Orthodox Church.



















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Northwest Arkansas, Arkansas, United States
My name is Ignatios Jason Rogers and I was received into the Holy Antiochian Orthodox Church at St. Nicholas in Springdale, AR on Christmas Eve of 2006. I am currently seeking the monastic path and hopefully one day will be able to enter a monastery.

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