A man unfurled the Greek flag inside the historic site of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul causing anger in Turkey.
Apostolos Papatheodorou, a Greek visitor, caused a stir when he proudly displayed the Greek flag and captioned his Instagram post with the words, “My beloved city, forever Greek.”
Wave of reactions in Turkey over Greek flag in Hagia Sophia
The image quickly spread across Turkish media platforms, triggering a wave of reactions. Many Turks denounced the act as provocative, questioning how such an action could be permitted within a symbolically significant location.
Some even directed their ire towards Turkish authorities for allegedly allowing the incident to occur unchecked.
Among the responses, some took a more aggressive tone, resorting to veiled threats and references to historical events. Comments such as “I hope you know how to swim” and “The sea is cold, my love” drew implicit parallels to the tragic Smyrna disaster, a dark chapter in Greek-Turkish relations.
Hagia Sophia, the symbolic center of the Greek Orthodox faith
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul remains the symbolic center of the Greek Orthodox faith even almost six centuries after its fall to the Ottomans and its conversion to a mosque.
From 537 to 1453, the “Great Church,” as the Byzantines called it, was the Eastern heart of Christianity.
The massive temple held a total of twenty-three thousand worshipers, and 525 priests, deacons, and chanters served its liturgies.
It is commonly believed that the last Orthodox liturgy in Hagia Sophia in Constantinople took place on May 28, 1453, just one day before the fateful moment that the beacon of Orthodoxy fell into Ottoman hands.
A brave Greek priest managed to hold an Orthodox liturgy in Hagia Sophia in 1919 at a time when the iconic cathedral functioned as a mosque.
Eleftherios Noufrakis (1872-1941) from Rethymno, Crete was the man who performed this act of heroism out of his love for God and his country. Inexplicably, Father Noufrakis’ name is not even a footnote in the modern history of Greece.
Thanks to a book, Archimandritis Eleftherios Noufrakis: An Emblematic Figure of Hellenism, by Antonios Stivaktakis, the fascinating story of “Papa Lefteris” has now come to light.
In early July 2020, the Turkish Council of State annulled the Cabinet’s 1934 decision to establish the museum, revoking the monument’s status, and a subsequent decree by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the reclassification of Hagia Sophia to a mosque.
This redesignation is controversial, invoking condemnation from the Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, and many international leaders.
Related: Hagia Sophia: The Center of Greek Orthodox Faith Through the Ages
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
