Show GLORY OF TURKISH CAPITAL great mosque of santa sofia a marvel in beauty of architecture and and rich decoration the great mosque of santa towers majestically over constantinople dominating its surroundings by sheer set ponderousness its bulky dome tind and tacked on minarets mina are however only the shell which covers a vast cathedral justly famed for beauty of line and rich ornament from the outer court you pass through a heavy bronze door and stand within a hall of such cavernous proportions that it seems impossible that even the exterior that seemed so massive could contain it above the dome doma rises in a sweeping curve once mosaic figures of christian saints adorned these higher regions ot of the hall but the vandal turks long ago covered the saints with plaster through through which in certain places they still can be seen smiling dimly but serenely the mosque has not always been it mohammedan temple the santa sofia a christian cathedral cathedra I erected by constantine Constant lue was destroyed destroy eq 1 by fire it was justinian who rebuilt it if in the sixth century decorating it with such lavish magnificence that he was himself surprised at the result and cried out solomon I 1 have surpassed abeel in day the new temple was a veritable gladdins Alad dins cave its walls and columns were of f marble bi 0 bro brought from foreign quarries a and laii from other temples famous shrines of diana apollo and even the temple ol 01 ot the sun at contributed their statues and jewels willingly or not tl adi the glory of Justin ians lans cathedral into this treasure vault in burst the conquering turks wrecking pluna dering and claiming possession fromi that time on santa sofia C chuich chui ch of tha divine wisdom has been a turkish mosque with minarets mina added and eret crescent cent over all chicago daily news hews |