The Bells of Hagia Sophia: An Ottoman History?

This paper looks at the bells of the most important church of the Byzantine Empire, the cathedral of Constantinople. A bell tower was added to the building, probably during the period of Latin rule (1204-1261). Its bells, however, remain a mystery. Any details such as their number, size or year of production are unknown. Bell ringing for religious purposes was forbidden under Ottoman rule and so the conquest of the city in 1453 resulted in the artefacts being melted down to recycle their bronze. The absence of any evidence only allows us to speculate about the lost instruments. For all that, the fame of the building and its previous role as a church maintained the memory of its bells. The bell tower stood until the eighteenth century, reminding Christian visitors of its former function. Even after its demolition, the bells of the building continued to fascinate. I will present and discuss these references dated to the Ottoman period, demonstrating that the evocation of these church bells endured, even if the artefacts were not extant anymore. In fact, at some point a bell that supposedly belonged to the church was put on display in Istanbul. The study of all these materials reveals that the Christian soundscape of Hagia Sophia still resonated centuries after it had actually ceased.