Show ST. ST SOPHIA I I It would Indeed be an interesting episode episode episode epi epi- sode in the he life of the Christian tian world were an ai army under the Cross to retake retake retake re re- re- re take from the Turks the greatest of f monuments of the tho early Church which ever since the capture of Constantinople Constantino Constantino- pIe by Mohammed II IL on May 29 1453 has been in use to to- this day as the great mosque of the Turkish Empire Originally Originally rIgi- rIgi nally built by the Emperor Constantine it was destroyed by fire in the reign of Justinian in the sixth century and re restored restored restored re- re stored by him For more than thirteen centuries it has stood as it now stands the finest surviving ing example of Byzantine Byzantine tine art Stamboul fell lell by assault on the date above mentioned In Inthe the course of the debacle the Sultan Mohammed Mohammed Mohammed Mo Mo- hammed observed some of his men Inthe in inthe inthe the act of preparing to destroy y the cross on the Church hurch of- of St. of-St. St St. In Instantly Instantly Instantly he ordered them to de desist and arid instead JQ to wall t t. up saying Saying i that sometime the Christians might recapture recapture recapture recap recap- ture the city and then they would want their cross Undoubtedly ty this his was a a. shining act of chivalry cI valry Perhaps Perl Mohammed's Mohammed's Mo Mo- No- No hammed's words may have bave been prophetic as well |