Hagia Sophia light shafts
A mystical quality of light reflects on all surfaces in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, the first domed basilica, now a museum. Tightly spaced rings of forty windows at the base of the dome were designed to provide light to what would have been a cavernous dark space, lit only by candles. The windows create an illusion that the dome is floating in air and resting on the light that flows through them. Without the shafts of bright sunlight bouncing around on the walls, the floors and the ceilings, how would anyone be able to see the varied patterns and colors of marble, alabaster, onyx and intricately designed mosaics? If you lower your lids you can almost see the angels flying within the sunshafts.
Hagia Sophia
For the curious…Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, renamed Istanbul, the renovation of an earlier basilica, was the largest church in the world. Earthquakes and structural problems made it necessary to renovate in 532AD. It was converted to a mosque in 1453 when the minarets were added.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection
Mario Botta’s The Cathedral of the Resurrection (1988-95) at Evry, France, is a cylindrical shell punctuated with bands of diminutive keyhole windows and overhead skylight. The sloping glass roof is inset with an equilateral triangle whose shape defines the three light sources that illuminate the interior. According to Botta, “To build a cathedral today is an extraordinary opportunity to create and enrich the environment in which we live.”
The Cathedral of the Resurrection interior
Botta believes the cathedral is a necessity for all as it connects us to the past, when our beautiful, old cities were new.
Pardon the cliché, but in truth there is no other way to say: Without the past, there is no future.
What’s your favorite window? How does it light up your life?
Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture. London; Boston: Butterworths, 1987.
Dupré Judith, Churches. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., New York, 2001.
There’s a nook in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, that just moved me when I saw a shaft of light tracing down through the stained glass windows. I don’t remember specifically which one, the cathedral is humongous, but I think it might have a reference to George Washington? Thanks for the reminders on the light.
Rhonda, the light really makes a difference wherever we go, live, play, work.
Fantastic pics, Gail. I love how windows can entirely change the light and energy of a space. These are perfect examples! Thanks for sharing the world with us:-)
Paula, thank you. You are so observant. It is true, the direction of light makes a difference in a space. Even in a garden, you know?
Gail, how beautifully you have presented the subject of light. I don;t think I could survive in a dark place (how do those Eskimos do it in the wintger). My favorite spot is my living room, where I am surrounded by windows and I can see the leaves on the trees and enjoy nature without freezing my tail off outdoors.
Well, there is light in an igloo, reflections off the ice and snow. But do they still live that way? You must mean the six months of darkness in Alaska. It effects the body cycles, menstruation and the libido. And where it rains so much as in Seattle, WA, it has the highest suicide rate in the country.
Breathtaking! I love the old churches, the beauty and the serenity I feel inside of them can’t be found anywhere else.
There is a smell of years gone by, of prayer, and of people passing through. Imagine?
Gorgeous pictures, Gail! I love stained glass windows, especially those heavy on the cobalt blue. (Happy sigh.) Learning how to do stained glass myself is on the bucket list. Thanks for the imaginary vacations you take us on!
Thank you Jesse. umm, on that cobalt blue. Yup, blue oceans and blue skies and blue eyes. Makes the heart beat a little faster. There’s a song in there somewhere.
Hi Gail,
I knew the Hagia Sophia was an amazing cathedral. (I had no idea it was converted to a mosque. I will definitely read my history to see how that happened.)
My daughter is anxiously awaiting to hear where the 2020 Olympics will be. It could be Istanbul, Tokyo, or Madrid. So anyone of those are in my future. But as she says, “Ah, Istanbul, where tennis reigns.”
Katy, thanks, I love your daughter b/c she loves tennis. Best, best, best sport in the world. Did you say her age? Maybe she’ll be one of the top players some day. Does she have a good coach? I think we had this conversation, didn’t we?
Gail, your blogs always make me want to travel!
Thanks Kristan. Maybe we can form a writer’s traveling group. That’s what the Westport Writer’s group is doing, with Jessica Bram. They are going to France in June. I want to go.