

The site of the church actually dates back to the time of Constantine in the 4th century and had another church structure on it. It burned to the ground during an uprising. The next emperor rebuilt it but again it was destroyed. Perhaps that's why Justinian decided on stone and marble.

When the church had become a mosque, many of the original mosaics were covered over with plaster. At the time it was a way of ridding the structure of its Christian influence. It actually turned out to be a way of preserving the ancient works of art. When the museum began to remove the plaster, the mosaics were discovered in remarkable condition for their age.


Needless to say, I think you can get a feel for the immensity of the inside building. The center dome is 182 1/2 feet high and 102 1/2 feet wide. Impressive when you consider the age in which it was built and its standing the test of time and nature.
Look at the photo of the front of the inside of the church. The golden mirab is sitting off slightly to the right of the center stained glass window where the altar of the church was originally. That is the direction of Mecca.
We finished our wandering on our own and went out to the meeting place in the courtyard where there is a small cafe. I had been seeing carts loaded with pomegranates and the vendors squeezing them for juice. Somehow it just looked really good so I asked for one. Our guide got it for me but neglected to tell me that is would be a bit sweeter if you got it mixed with orange juice. Bob and I drank it and discovered new pucker power. Somehow I remember pomegranates being sweeter than that.
Once our group had gathered again, we were off to find lunch. It turned out to be a real treat.
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