Ayasofya, one of the largest cathedrals in the world in terms of its area, was used as a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul and was converted into a museum during the Republican period.
Today, as the building is reopened as a mosque, it carries with it not only interesting historical facts from its 1500-year past, but also many legends passed down from generation to generation.
Among the nearly a hundred of these legends, we have compiled some of the prominent ones briefly.
According to a Christian legend, on the day Istanbul was conquered, a collective ritual was being held in Hagia Sophia for the people seeking refuge.
Before the main doors were opened by the Ottomans, one of the priests took a sacred vessel believed to contain the blood of Jesus, placed on the pulpit to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Muslims, and an angel guided him through a door inside, which closed behind him. However, no one could later find this door.
According to the legend, that priest waits behind the door where he was taken for the day when God would awaken him to complete the ritual that he had begun there.
Hagia Sophia has a total of 361 doors. It is believed that a hundred of these doors are grand doors, and it is believed that they are enchanted. Another legend tells that whenever these doors are counted, an extra door appears.
According to the story, Emperor Justinian was not pleased with the construction plans made for Hagia Sophia. He wanted an even more magnificent structure. During a Sunday ritual, a bee came and took a piece of the sacred bread that the emperor accidentally dropped on the ground while it was being used in the ritual.
The Emperor sent word to all beekeepers in the city to find that bee and the piece of bread it took. The person who found the bee turned out to be the engineer who did not like the construction plans. Bees that produced their own honey had woven a church shape with honeycombs that had never been seen before inside the engineer’s hive.
The piece of sacred bread that the bee took was found on the sacred table. Thinking that the bee had left it there, the Emperor wished for it to be used in the foundation of Hagia Sophia.
Inside Hagia Sophia, there is a marble structure known as the ‘Weeping Column,’ which is believed to have been a column in the house of Virgin Mary. .
According to the belief, when they told the Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ had been caught and tortured, she began to cry, and as she leaned against the column, a tear fell from her eye and dissolved the spot it touched like acid.
Another legend goes like this: During the construction of Hagia Sophia, Emperor Justinian would often visit the site to inspect the progress. One day, he fell ill and was struck by a severe headache while walking through Hagia Sophia.
At that moment, he rested his head against the Column of Sweating and prayed for his ailment to pass. Miraculously, his illness and headache completely disappeared after a while. When the Emperor examined the column carefully, he noticed a small hole had appeared in it, and a tear-like drop had flowed from the hole. He thought that this tear was the tear of the Virgin Mary and that it had been sent by God to heal him. The public learned about this miracle, and the column was considered sacred by the people.”
Ayasofya, one of the largest cathedrals in the world in terms of its area, was used as a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul and was converted into a museum during the Republican period.
Today, as the building is reopened as a mosque, it carries with it not only interesting historical facts from its 1500-year past, but also many legends passed down from generation to generation.
Among the nearly a hundred of these legends, we have compiled some of the prominent ones briefly.
According to a Christian legend, on the day Istanbul was conquered, a collective ritual was being held in Hagia Sophia for the people seeking refuge.
Before the main doors were opened by the Ottomans, one of the priests took a sacred vessel believed to contain the blood of Jesus, placed on the pulpit to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Muslims, and an angel guided him through a door inside, which closed behind him. However, no one could later find this door.
According to the legend, that priest waits behind the door where he was taken for the day when God would awaken him to complete the ritual that he had begun there.
Hagia Sophia has a total of 361 doors. It is believed that a hundred of these doors are grand doors, and it is believed that they are enchanted. Another legend tells that whenever these doors are counted, an extra door appears.
According to the story, Emperor Justinian was not pleased with the construction plans made for Hagia Sophia. He wanted an even more magnificent structure. During a Sunday ritual, a bee came and took a piece of the sacred bread that the emperor accidentally dropped on the ground while it was being used in the ritual.
The Emperor sent word to all beekeepers in the city to find that bee and the piece of bread it took. The person who found the bee turned out to be the engineer who did not like the construction plans. Bees that produced their own honey had woven a church shape with honeycombs that had never been seen before inside the engineer’s hive.
The piece of sacred bread that the bee took was found on the sacred table. Thinking that the bee had left it there, the Emperor wished for it to be used in the foundation of Hagia Sophia.
Inside Hagia Sophia, there is a marble structure known as the ‘Weeping Column,’ which is believed to have been a column in the house of Virgin Mary. .
According to the belief, when they told the Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ had been caught and tortured, she began to cry, and as she leaned against the column, a tear fell from her eye and dissolved the spot it touched like acid.
Another legend goes like this: During the construction of Hagia Sophia, Emperor Justinian would often visit the site to inspect the progress. One day, he fell ill and was struck by a severe headache while walking through Hagia Sophia.
At that moment, he rested his head against the Column of Sweating and prayed for his ailment to pass. Miraculously, his illness and headache completely disappeared after a while. When the Emperor examined the column carefully, he noticed a small hole had appeared in it, and a tear-like drop had flowed from the hole. He thought that this tear was the tear of the Virgin Mary and that it had been sent by God to heal him. The public learned about this miracle, and the column was considered sacred by the people.”
