Constantinople - Hagia Sophia Fountain
Hagia Sophia Image Gallery
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This photograph shows a fountain used by Muslims for ablutions before entering a mosque. It is the first structure that greets visitors when they enter the grounds of Hagia Sophia and was created in 1740 by Sultan Mahmud. It is widely regarded as an excellent example of Ottoman baroque art.
One traditional story tells of how, during the sacking of Constantinople by Turkish soldiers, some of the priests gathered up the holiest vessels used during services and walked through the south wall of the inner sanctuary. The walls opened up for them and closed behind them - not so that they could escape, but so that they could remain there until the church was Christian once again. To this day, Greek Orthodox Christians avoid any religious celebrations on Tuesdays, the day of the week that Constantinople fell.
Sultan Mohammed, the Turkish ruler, seems to have had some sense of what he was inheriting. He considered himself a heir to the Roman emperors as well as the Byzantine rulers and moved to establish his authority over the Christian community by appointing a new patriarch - even performing the ceremony in Hagia Sophia.
