When was the last time the Divine Liturgy was performed in #HagiaSophia ?
28th May 1453?
Wrong.

19th January 1919.

A thread on the Great Church's brief, little known 20th century swansong.

The Armistice of Mudros, signed on the deck of HMS Agamemnon, concluded the Ottoman empire’s involvement in WWI on 30 October 1918. 2 weeks later French & British troops began the occupation of Constantinople. They would remain for 5 years until 4 October 1923.

Meanwhile the Russian Civil war was underway. As part of the Allied intervention against the Bolsheviks, an international expeditionary force sailed to the Ukraine in early 1919 including 2 divisions of the Greek army.

On route, the fleet docked at Constantinople & the military chaplain of the Greek 2nd Division along with 4 officers determined to go ashore & perform the Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia – at the time still a functioning mosque.

The chaplain was Eleftherios Noufrakis (Father Lefteris) from Rethymno in Crete. He and the 4 officers hired a local Greek boatman to row them ashore and lead them quietly to the doors of #HagiaSophia

At the door, a guard asked in Turkish what they were trying to do, but with the city under occupation, he had little authority against allied officers. Father Eleftherios moved quickly headed to the location of the Sanctuary and the Holy Altar.

Finding a small table, he put it into place, then opened his bag and took out everything needed for the Divine Liturgy. Then he put on his stole and began the first Byzantine rite in #HagiaSophia for 466 years.

As this went on, an incredulous crowd of local Muslims worshipers began to gather & watch in silence. Lefteris placed the antimension on the table, to do the Proskomidi. He then took a small Holy Chalice out of his bag, a paten, a knife & small prosphoron, even a bottle of wine

News of what was happening had spread around outside the building. The crowd was growing, both Turks & Greeks (who were c.30% of the city's population back then). The atmosphere was changing. Nonetheless the Divine Liturgy was completed without interruption.

The crowd began to shout as the 5 men left. They were attacked outside by a man with a stick but made it back to the boatman & rowed to their ship. The incident caused a brief diplomatic ruckus. Greek PM Eleftherios Venizelos made an official apology. Unofficially, well...

Father Lefteris died in 1941 during the Nazi occupation of Crete. His monument can be seen in the village of Alones.

Threadroll away, but this is also a blogpost at https://porphyryand.blogspot.com/