The Aya Sofia, Trabzon

 There has been three Haghia Sophia's or Aya Sofia's as it is known now, the first in Istanbul, the second in Nicea (now Iznik) and the third is this one in Trabzon. The second Haghia Sophia in Iznik is now in ruins but was very important in its hey day having seen the convening of a few church councils, one of which was the formulation of the Nicene creed which is still recited today after over a thousand years. As with many churches, this was also at one time converted to a mosque with its frescoes plastered over. But as the layers of Moslem whitewash got chipped away by age, Western travelers noticed the presence of paintings underneath. During the Russian occupation of Trabzon, then known as Trebizond, this building was used as a hospital. It was not until 1957 that permission was granted to a team from Edinburgh Univedrsity to clean away the Moslem whitewash in order to reveal the Byzantine frescoes. They built a new mosque nearby and work on the Haghia Sophia became unimpeded. Today some wonderful Byzantine frescoes can be seen.

 The Haghia Sophia sits on a hill and overlooks the Black sea.

It is a magnificent site for a church. While only some of its numerous frescoes remains, they are of a quality I have not seen elsewhere. Earlier Western visitors writes of the fresco of Manuel I (1238 to 1263) now gone, who was the builder of this Haghia Sophia. They also pointed out the presence of the single headed eagle on the fresco, a common signature of the Byzantine empire. We shall see the presence of it in later postings.
Earlier photos showed the building in the middle of empty fields but it is not so today, the area is all built up. One could easily missed the church because the tall new buildings hide it.