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The event was organized by Metropolis of Chicago Regional Commanders Gus Pablecas and John Manos.
Featured speakers include:
  • Anthony J. Limberakis, M.D., National Commander of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle
  • Dr. Alexandros Kyrou, Ph.D., Professor of History at Salem State University;
  • Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution at Tufts University;
  • ​Ms. Lena Argiri, Washington D.C. Correspondent for Greek Public Broadcasting ERT.

​​Webinar:

Four academics deeply versed in the history of #HagiaSophia and its glorious sacred art examine the work that was done to restore the holy icons while the building was a museum, and the wider importance of its return to mosque status. https://www.archons.org/-/webinar-hagia-sophia-preservation
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Click Here for Updated News

History Repeats Itself.
The West is Silent, Again.

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"The Magnificent Human Achievement" by Archon Elias Damianakis. An examination of the artistic excellence of Agia Sophia
​“To convert it back to a mosque, is to say to the rest of the world unfortunately we are not secular anymore,”

“There are millions of secular Turks like me who are crying against this but..."  

Nobel Prize novelist Orhan Pamuk told the BBC on Friday. 

Is this Islam, or simply Erdogan's duplicitous Character?

Erdogan in English: Hagia Sophia's doors will be, as is the case with all our mosques, wide open to all, whether they be foreign or local, Muslim or non-Muslim.
Erdogan in Arabic: Revival of Hagia Sophia is a sign towards return of freedom to AlAqsa mosque.
President Barack Obama toured Agia Sophia when he visited Turkey, as did former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1999. Many others, including Angela Merkel, Pope Benedict XVI, also strolled the site in 2006, part of his pilgrimage of landmarks of Christianity’s ancient roots in Turkey.
"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth"
“It captures a unique history, why pull that into politics?”
​Ziya Meral, a member of Turkey’s Christian community.
Sancta Sophia which stands out most distinct on the canvas of Constantinople memories.
​(National Geographic, May 1915)
"If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."
Napoleon Bonaparte
"Before Mehmet entered the building he dismounted and fell to his knees, pouring a handful of earth over his turban in a gesture of humility, since Haghia Sophia was as revered in Islam as it was in Christianity."
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s Byzantine Jewel

Whats at Stake

Hagia Sophia with its innovative architecture, rich history, religious significance and extraordinary characteristics has been fighting against time for centuries, is the largest Eastern Roman Church in Istanbul. 

What's Being Said

“Democracy is merely a train that we ride until we reach our destination. Mosques are our military barracks. Minarets are our spears.”
​The timing of Erdogan's two calls suggests a strong link between domestic political considerations and the instrumentalisation of Hagia Sophia.
​AYKAN ERDEMIR - FORMER TURKISH PARLIAMENTARIAN

How to Advocate

Sign Petitions, reach out to your political leaders, speak now, be not silent in sight of oppression.
SHARE this link:
agiasophia.org
«Η Ρωμιοσύνη εν φυλή
συνόκαιρη του κόσμου,
κανένας δεν ευρέθηκε
για να την εξαλείψει
κανένας, γιατί σκέπει την
’πο τάψη ο Θεός μου.
Η Ρωμιοσύνη θα χαθή,
Όντας ο κόσμος λείψει».
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Source: Romanos Anastasiadis

Contrast

​The Decree by which Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum, on 11/24/1934, with the signatures of the Founder of the modern Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the members of the Council of Ministers.

News Clips about The Holy Wisdom

Feature Presentation

His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos

The St. Photios National Shrine recently produced and presented a video version of the Shrine's “Inaugural Commemoration of the Fall of Constantinople.”
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The online special premiered on Friday May 29, 2020, for all the faithful in place of a planned event hosted by the Saint Photios Shrine, which had to be canceled due to the current pandemic. To watch this video, please use the following direct link: https://bit.ly/36JoZ2H Please share this video with anyone who has an interest in the history of the Greek Orthodox Church and Byzantium.

Learn More About The Holy Wisdom Church

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