20 October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi Apartment 53TL
It was entirely by accident that we
discovered and visited the charming Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Strolling a
busy street after our omelette breakfast I glanced through an open door in what
appeared to be an apartment block to find it led into a hidden courtyard. In
the courtyard, a statue of Pope Benedict XV; and the second largest Roman
Catholic church in Istanbul, built in Baroque style in 1846. A gem of a find.
Later, in Sultanahmet on the south side of the Golden Horn, we visited again
the Milion Stone, “a mile-marker monument erected in the early 4th century AD
in Constantinople. It was the starting-place for measurement of distances for
all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire...” (Wikipedia). Then
to the Basilica Cistern. Lonely Planet: “This subterranean structure was
commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532 ... it was constructed using
336 columns, many of which were salvaged from ruined temples ... Its symmetry
and sheer grandeur of conception are quite breathtaking ... Designed to service
the Great Palace and surrounding buildings, it was able to store up to 80,000
cu metres of water delivered via 20km of aqueducts from a reservoir near the
Black Sea ... Forgotten by the city authorities ... it wasn't rediscovered
until 1545, when scholar Petrus Gyllius was researching Byzantine antiquities
in the city and was told by local residents that they were able to miraculously
obtain water by lowering buckets into a dark space below their basement floors.
Some were even catching fish this way ... it certainly has bucketloads (forgive
the pun) of atmosphere”.
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Milion Stone
Milion Stone
Basilica Cistern
Basilica Cistern
Basilica Cistern
Basilica Cistern - Medusa column (1)
Basilica Cistern - Medusa column (2)