Does anyone know what (if anything) may lie beneath the Arabic calligraphy mosaic in the interior of the main dome of the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul? Here’s what it looked like when it was last being restored.
It would seem likely that the restorers would have done some research, at least for structural reasons, to see what the it consisted of. But the calligraphic design was done when the building was used as a mosque, and I gather it might be a sensitive subject.
I’ve never been able to find out whether there’s any factual information about what might be under there.
I’d have to look to see what’s recorded as being in the central dome of Agia Sophia (I believe I have it in one of my books around here somewhere), but, if it still exists, it’s probably a mosaic of one of the subjects usually put in the main domes of Orthodox churches – either a Christ Pantokrator, or a scene of Christ ascending or of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
I’ve never seen anything other than the Arab calligraphy. I was wondering whether there was any artwork known to be underneath, or whether whatever surface was there had been destroyed somehow (through age, etc.).
p.s. – THe Ottomans were said to be very tolerant of the Christians, and specifically in the Haghia Sophia they left a number of really beautiful Byzantine mosaics. So I am wondering whether that might indicate that the original dome mosaics (whatever they were) were considered to be completely beyond repair when they took power, etc. etc. and whether anything may remain of them beneath the current design.
