ness of gold, coloured marble, mosaic, precious stones. So from every corner of the Empire the governors had to send columns taken from old temples, marble, jewels, and incredible sums of money. Eight pillars of verde antico came from Ephesus, as many of porphyry from Rome. Egypt was the richest province of the Empire, and a year's taxes from the whole of Egypt went to pay for one ambo. The altar was of solid gold, gleaming with emeralds. Six thousand gilt candlesticks hung around, and the light from their burning candles glowed back from rubies and sapphires, sheets of gold and silver, enamel and mosaic and marble of every colour, so that the church must have shone with a dazzling splendour, like that of the city of God in the Apocalypse. Above the doors of the narthex, in the tympanum, was a huge mosaic of our Lord. It is the type of the Byzantine Christ. Very stately he sits on a throne, looking across the city with a calm majesty that makes him seem far removed from our troubles. His right hand is lifted up to give the "Eastern" blessing—two fingers raised, and the third touching the thumb; in the left hand he holds a book: "Peace be with you. I am the Light of the world." On either side are medallions of our Lady and St. Michael, and, kneeling, before him is Cæsar in his diadem. It is the lord of the world worshipping the Lord of Heaven.
The church was dedicated on St. Stephen's Day, December 27, 537.[1] When Justinian saw it finished he said: "Glory be to God, who has found me worthy to do such a work. Solomon, I have beaten you." Alas! next year an earthquake brought down the cupola. They built it up again at once, and used bricks specially made at Rhodes, of which five weighed no more than one ordinary one. They were so anxious not to shake the building that, when they had to bring down the inner scaffolding, they flooded the church with water, and let the great poles fall into that. This is the cupola that one may still see rising, a gleaming white curve, above the marble quays and the slender, dark cypress trees from the waters of the Propontis. No church is of such importance in the history of architecture, and no church
- ↑ That is their St. Stephen's Day. On December 26th they keep the Memory of the holy Mother of God.
