It's a church. It's a mosque. It's Hagia Sophia. - Kelly Wall

Crkva. Džamija. Aja Sofija. - Keli Vol (Kelly Wall)

Prevodilac: Jasmin Čvorić Lektor: Ivana Korom

They say that if walls could talk, each building would have a story to tell,

Kažu da, kada bi zidovi mogli govoriti, svaka zgrada bi mogla da ispriča priču.

but few would tell so many fascinating stories in so many different voices

Ali malo njih bi ispričalo toliko mnogo fascinantnih priča u toliko mnogo glasova

as the Hagia Sophia, or holy wisdom.

kao Aja Sofija, ili Sveta Mudrost.

Perched at the crossroads of continents and cultures,

Smeštena na raskrsnicama kontinenata i kultura,

it has seen massive changes from the name of the city where it stands,

videla je ogromne promene, od imena grada u kome stoji,

to its own structure and purpose.

do svoje sopstvene strukture i svrhe

And today, the elements from each era stand

A danas, elementi svakog razdoblja

ready to tell their tales to any visitor who will listen.

su spremni da ispričaju svoje priče svakom posetiocu koji će da sluša.

Even before you arrive at the Hagia Sophia, the ancient fortifications

Pre nego što stignete do Aja Sofije, drevna utvrđenja

hint at the strategic importance of the surrounding city,

označavaju stratešku važnost grada koji okružuju,

founded as Byzantium by Greek colonists in 657 BCE.

koji su grčki kolonisti osnovali kao Bizantium, 657 g. p.n.e.

And successfully renamed as Augusta Antonia, New Rome and Constantinople

Uspešno je preimenovan u Augusta Antonia, Novi Rim i Konstantinopolj,

as it was conquered, reconquered, destroyed and rebuilt

kako su ga osvajali, preosvajali, uništavali i ponovo izgrađivali,

by various Greek, Persian and Roman rulers over the following centuries.

grčki, persijski i rimski vladari u narednim vekovima.

And it was within these walls that the first Megale Ekklesia, or great church,

U ovim zidinama je Megale Eklesia ili Velika crkva

was built in the fourth century.

prvi put izgrađena u četvrtom veku.

Though it was soon burned to the ground in riots,

Iako je ubrzo u pobunama spaljena do temelja,

it established the location for the region's main religious structure

utvrdila je lokaciju za glavnu versku građevinu u regionu

for centuries to come.

za nadolazeće vekove.

Near the entrance, the marble stones with reliefs

Blizu ulaza, mermerne ploče sa reljefima

are the last reminders of the second church.

su poslednji podsetnici na drugu crkvu.

Built in 415 CE, it was destroyed during the Nika Riots of 532

Sagrađena 415. godine, uništena je tokom ustanka Nika 532. godine,

when angry crowds at a chariot race

kada su besne gomile ljudi na trkama dvokolica

nearly overthrew the emperor, Justinian the First.

skoro zbacile sa trona cara Justinijana I.

Having barely managed to retain power,

Nakon što je jedva povratio moć,

he resolved to rebuild the church on a grander scale,

odlučio je da izgradi crkvu većih razmera,

and five years later, the edifice you see before you was completed.

i pet godina kasnije, izgradnja zdanja koje vidite je završena.

As you step inside, the stones of the foundation and walls

Kada uđete unutra, kamenje temelja i zidovi

murmur tales from their homelands of Egypt and Syria,

šapuću priče o svojim domovinama, Egiptu i Siriji,

while columns taken from the Temple of Artemis recall a more ancient past.

dok se stubovi iz Artemizinog hrama prisećaju davnijih vremena.

Runic inscriptions carved by the Vikings of the emperor's elite guard

Runski natpisi koje su urezali elitni vikinški carevi telohranitelji

carry the lore of distant northern lands.

nose znanje udaljenih severnih zemalja.

But your attention is caught by the grand dome, representing the heavens.

Ali vaša pažnja je zaokupljena velikom kupolom koja predstavlja nebesa.

Reaching over 50 meters high and over 30 meters in diameter

Sa svojih 50 metara visine i preko 30 metara prečnika,

and ringed by windows around its base,

okružena prozorima oko osnovice,

the golden dome appears suspended from heaven,

zlatna kupola izgleda kao da visi sa neba

light reflecting through its interior.

sa odsjajem svetlosti u svojoj unutrašnjosti.

Beneath its grandiose symbolism, the sturdy reinforcing Corinthian columns,

Ispod svog grandioznog simbolizma čvrsti korintski stubovi,

brought from Lebanon after the original dome was partially destroyed

doneti iz Libana nakon delimičnog rušenja prvobitne kupole

by an earthquake in 558 CE,

usled zemljotresa 558. godine,

quietly remind you of its fragility

tiho podsećaju na svoju krhkost

and the engineering skills such a marvel requires.

i graditeljske veštine kakve ovo čudo zahteva.

If a picture is worth a thousand words,

Ako slika jeste vredna hiljadu reči,

the mosaics from the next several centuries have the most to say

mozaici iz sledećih nekoliko vekova imaju najviše da kažu,

not only about their Biblical themes,

ne samo o svojim biblijskim temama,

but also the Byzantine emperors who commissioned them,

nego i o vizantijskim carevima koji su ih naručili,

often depicted along with Christ.

često oslikanim zajedno sa Hristom.

But beneath their loud and clear voices,

Ali ispod njihovih glasnih i jasnih glasova,

one hears the haunting echoes of the damaged and missing mosaics and icons,

mogu se čuti proganjajući odzvuci oštećenih i nestalih mozaika i ikona,

desecrated and looted during the Latin Occupation in the Fourth Crusade.

oskrnavljenih i opljačkanih tokom latinske okupacije tokom IV krstaškog rata.

Within the floor, the tomb inscription of Enrico Dandolo,

Unutar poda, grobni natpis Enrika Dandola,

the Venetian ruler who commanded the campaign,

mletačkog vladara koji je predvodio kampanju,

is a stark reminder of those 57 years that Hagia Sophia spent as a Roman Catholic church

je snažan podsetnik na 57 godina kada je Aja Sofija bila rimokatolička crkva,

before returning to its orthodox roots upon the Byzantine Reconquest.

nakon čega se vratila pravoslavnim korenima po vizantinskom osvajanju.

But it would not remain a church for long.

Ali nije zadugo ostala crkva.

Weakened by the Crusades, Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453

Oslabljen zbog Krstaša, Konstantinopolj pada u ruke Osmanlija 1453. godine

and would be known as Istanbul thereafter.

i od tada je poznat kao Istanbul.

After allowing his soldiers three days of pillage,

Nakon što je svojim vojnicima dozvolio trodnevnu pljačku,

Sultan Mehmed the Second entered the building.

sultan Mehmed II je ušao u zgradu.

Though heavily damaged, its grandeur was not lost

Iako je bila teško oštećena, mladi sultan je uvideo

on the young sultan who immediately rededicated it to Allah,

njenu grandioznost i posvetio ju je Alahu,

proclaiming that it would be the new imperial mosque.

proglašavajući je novom carskom džamijom.

The four minarets built over the next century

Četiri minareta, sagrađena u idućem veku,

are the most obvious sign of this era,

su najočigledniji znak ovog razdoblja

serving as architectural supports in addition to their religious purpose.

koji služe arhitektonskoj, kao i verskoj svrsi.

But there are many others.

Ali postoje i mnogi drugi.

Ornate candle holders relate Suleiman's conquest of Hungary,

Ukrašeni svećnjaci vezani su za osvajanje Mađarske sultana Sulejmana,

while giant caligraphy discs hung from the ceiling

dok ogromni kaligrafski diskovi koji vise sa plafona

remind visitors for the first four caliphs who followed Muhammad.

podsećaju posetioce na prvu četvoricu kalifa koji su sledili Muhameda.

Though the building you see today still looks like a mosque, it is now a museum,

Iako građevina još uvek izgleda kao džamija, ona je zapravo muzej,

a decision made in 1935 by Kemal Ataturk,

što je 1935. godine odlučio Kemal Ataturk,

the modernizing first president of Turkey

modernizujući prvi predsednik Turske

following the Ottoman Empire's collapse.

nakon pada Osmanskog carstva.

It was this secularization that allowed for removal

Ova sekularizacija dozvolila je uklanjanje

of the carpets hiding the marble floor decorations

tepiha koji su skrivali podne mermerne ukrase

and the plaster covering the Christian mosaics.

i maltera koji je pokrivao hrišćanske mozaike.

Ongoing restoration work has allowed the multiplicity of voices

Ti restauratorski radovi dozvolili su mnoštvu glasova

in Hagia Sophia's long history

iz duge istorije Aja Sofije

to be heard again after centuries of silence.

da se ponovo čuju nakon vekova tišine.

But conflict remains.

Ali sukob ostaje.

Hidden mosaics cry out from beneath Islamic calligraphy,

Skriveni mozaici viču ispod islamske kaligrafije,

valuable pieces of history that cannot be uncovered without destroying others.

vredni delovi istorije koji ne mogu biti otkriveni bez uništavanja drugih.

Meanwhile, calls sound from both Muslim and Christian communities

Za to vreme, muslimanske i hrišćanske zajednice traže

to return the building to its former religious purposes.

vraćanje zgrade njenim nekadašnjim svrhama.

The story of the divine wisdom may be far from over,

Priča o božanskoj mudrosti možda je daleko od završene,

but one can only hope that the many voices residing there

ali se možemo nadati samo da će mnogi tamošnji glasovi

will be able to tell their part for years to come.

biti u mogućnosti da ispričaju sve u godinama koje dolaze.