European Perspective After the fall of Constantinople, which the Turks renamed Istanbul, the giant cathedral became a mosque, with Turkish builders adding the minarets which now dominate the skyline in Istanbul's ancient heart. Survivors, scholars and activists alike have rightly focused on holding specific government entities and religious institutional propagators accountable for these historical injustices. Throughout history, the pagan label continued to be used to diminish not only non-Abrahamic traditions, but various Abrahamic religions and denominations. Sofia Municipality, Program Europe, 2012-2013 Answer: We have to distinguish what kind of monuments we're talking about. Early Christians sought to distinguish their practices amid Roman polytheism. The Sofia Globe provides news, features, insight and analysis about Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe and the wider world according to the high professional standards of independence and objectivity that we have set ourselves in our Editorial Charter. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. But when it comes to the controversial statue of Bulgaria's 10th century ruler Tsar Samuil, newly-unveiled in Sofia, his glow-in-the-dark eyes have added to the furore among many who behold them. The establishment of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Ancient Sofia, and the National Museum Complex (renamed as "the Bulgarian Louvre") came to be established in Sofia as a result of that decision. The President of Turkey has recently formally converted Istanbuls sixth-century Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and declared it open for Muslim worship, a decision that many Muslims have celebrated. Controversial statues: Should they stay or should they go? Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia This monument is beautiful. It was the statue that never was: a bronze, bejeweled monument to a British queen intended to rise five stories high on the Queens side of the East River across from the United . A lot of controversy surrounds the Sveta Sofia Statue and it has almost nothing to do with its slightly erotic appearance. Controversy over new statue of Bulgaria's 10th-Century ruler. Outside, a large sculpture park displays communist-era statues from around the country. This internet site is created with the financial support of Her three daughters being tortured and killed to force her to forsake her belief in Christ. All rights reserved, The Church of St George (Bulgarian: Rotonda Sveti Georgi) is an Early Christian red brick, The Church of St Alexander Nevsky is maybe the most popular symbol of the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and Bulgaria as a whole. A new round of consultations between Skopje and Sofia has been announced based on a 'protocol' of six Bulgarian demands - some of which the former could find . Critics have likened the statue the height of which is further augmented by a 2.2 metre pedestal to something out of Nikola Gruevskis grandiosely kitsch Skopje 2020 project, with one suggesting that Gruevski be invited to Sofia to unveil the Tsar Samuil statue. The perception is different now, says Elitsa Terzieva. There is also a souvenir kiosk where communist period memorabilia are sold. Sophia is represented as a pagan goddess, holding a wreath (a symbol of glory) and having an owl (a symbol of wisdom) perched on her arm. Sofia District Mayor Wants Monument To 'Soviet Liberators' Removed Sophia was considered too erotic and pagan to be referred to as St. Sophia. [1] The remnants of the socialist regime were found from basements of every town in Bulgaria for installation at the museum before it formally opened on 19 September 2011. In Canada, those schools were managed by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches (before some Methodist and Presbyterian formed the United Church in 1925, the Methodist Church was an operator of schools). The History of Copying Art: A Learning Tool or a Cheat? As a former seat of the Greek Orthodox Church, Hagia Sophia's loss still rankles with some Greeks and the move to convert it into a mosque again threatens to deepen tensions between Greece and Turkey. His comments drew a rebuke from Turkeys Foreign Ministry, which said Hagia Sophia was a domestic issue of Turkish national sovereignty. After a pressure campaign from pro-communist politicians, Totalitarian was replaced with the more neutral, Socialist designation. According to our tour guide, construction of this statue caused a great deal of controversy as to what exactly it is meant to represent, with various theories! They currently reside in a Greek museum, and Bulgarian officials have been trying to get them back for years, so far without success. Statue overlooking the street - Review of Monument to the Deity All Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian Upper House of Parliament, called the action "a mistake". At the same time it was decided by Ministry of Culture to create the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia to enhance the city's cultural ambiance and its position as a major tourist attraction, in conformity with similarly themed museums that had been established in many cities of Eastern Europe. It is also a great way mark for if you get a bit lost. However, after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of World War I, Turkey's new secular government decided to turn the building into a non-denominational museum and open it to tourists. Petko was a political activist (1827 - 1895), and Pencho was a modernist poet (1866 - 1912). Museum of Socialist Art - Wikipedia In the other hand it is perched owl the symbol of wisdom. Alexander Nevsky is probably Sofias most eminent symbol and a chief tourist attraction. He contends that this Mosaic distinction, associated with the time of Moses moving forward, repudiated everything that went before and everything outside itself as paganism.. [3][4][7] Bulgaria welcomed the arrival of Soviet troops during World War II and is widely considered to have been the USSRs closest ally in the region. Egyptologist Jan Assmann sees in the roots of Abrahamic monotheism the emergence of an unprecedented worldview and ethical values that were accompanied by a binary mindset. But the pagan label is also continually used to inaccurately lump together an arguably diverse group of non-Abrahamic belief systems. Bulgaria slammed a Sofia exhibition organized by the Russian Embassy, And the April removal from a Prague district of a statue. Hagia Sophia: turning this Turkish treasure into a mosque is at odds with its Unesco status, The Greek Foreign Ministry characterized the changes as the religious and nationalist fanatic ramblings of todays Turkey. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of many Orthodox Christians, said the change would be divisive and Pope Francis expressed sadness and disappointment. That nostalgia is rooted in Bulgarias strong alliance with the Soviet Union, and in the countrys halting, traumatizing process of decommunization. 2023 BBC. She has a gilded crown, face, arms and toes and has no eyes, which gives her the look of an ancient golden mask. Pope Francis said he was "deeply pained" by Turkey's decision, while the World Council of Churches described its "grief and dismay", noting that the Hagia Sophia had been "a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations". 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Hagia Sophia was built in the sixth century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was a Christian place of worship for nearly 1,000 years before what was then known as Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks after a bloody siege in 1453. Saint Sofia Statue. Sophia | Sightseeing in Sofia | Sofia - In Your Pocket A sleeker location near commercial galleries associates the museum with younger, contemporary practices. The 24 meter high bronze statue was designed by the local sculptor George Chapkanov and replaced the statue of Vladimir Ilich Lenin that was on the same spot (the square was also named Lenin at that time). Visitors look at one of the ancient Christian mosaics inside the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), in Istanbul, October 2010. This very likely gives students the impression of voluntary and peaceful conversions, implying these religions superiority and sophistication over other beliefs. The interior exhibition space features a mix of Socialist realist works on canvas, and propaganda from Bulgaria and other communist countries. There was a controversy surrounding the monument, as it was planned immediately . Welcome to Sofia, Bulgaria! Most towns and cities, regardless of size, commissioned monuments to communist icons like Lenin and Todor Zhivkov, the countrys longtime dictator. He described the decision as one that offends those who see the site as "part of world cultural heritage". Sveta Sofia Statue (one of the emblems of Sofia) | Tweekends Have you ever wondered why the people here are divided in opinion about the famous St Sofia Statue? . It consists of three parts: a park in which 77 statues or sculptures drawn from the communist period, including a statue of Vladimir Lenin, have been erected; an exhibition hall with 60 paintings and 25 easel paintings representations; and a media or video hall in which propaganda films and newsreels related to the communist period are screened. Eye or nay? Tsar Samuil statue controversy continues We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Many projects were mooted since the 1990s for establishing museums of communism in Sofia, Dimitrovgrad, and Haskovo, but none came to fruition. During communism, these statues were ubiquitous in Bulgaria. Tsar Samuil ruled the first Bulgarian Empire in the 10th Century, conquering lands in modern-day Macedonia, Serbia, Albania and northern Greece. Eight metres in height, the copper and bronze statue by the sculptor Georgi Chapkanov is partially covered in gold, and stands on a 16 metre high pedestal. [4] Many oil paintings extol the presumed theme of "eternal friendship" between Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. The Sofia Globe reports. On September 9, a coup brought Bulgaria into the Soviet orbit and the country remained one of Moscows most obedient satellites under hard-line communist rule for 45 years. The communist-era monument is in a public park in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. The message: the Eastern Orthodox is strong.The statue is in black and golden colors, the dress blowing in the wind. The choice of the owl element isnt accidental the bird is a symbol of wisdom and this is exactly what the name of the saint (and the name of the city, for that matter) stands for. Now, Hagia Sophia is one of the most popular museums in Turkey, drawing more than 3.7 million visitors last year, with many seeing the site as a place that brings faiths together. Russia has lashed out angrily over the move, and tensions were heightened further when Czech media reported that Moscow planned to poison the three Prague politicians in retaliation for supporting moves that have irritated Russia, including the removal of Konev's statue. That statue may be one of many in the U.S. that has been set to be taken away amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, but it is one of the most notableand controversialones slated for removal. The Prague district said the statue would be moved to a museum and a new monument honoring the city's liberation would take its place. Pagan traditions contributions including exchanges with, and influences on, the Abrahamic tradition need also be better acknowledged and emphasized. They instead took a utilitarian approach to displaying the sculptures, scattering them so that they could easily be viewed from every angle. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. It is so tall, you can see it from quite a way. During the summer of 2011 attempts to create exhibits on the role of the communist regime in Bulgaria were made by a group of artists who painted "pop icons" on the Soviet army memorial in Sofia in June 2011. The story of the martyr Sophia is tragic. Surrounded by controversy, a four-metre-high statue of 10th century Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuil was to be unveiled in central Sofia on June 8, amid calls for a postponement and rethink of the placing of the statue and with the row extending even to the appearance of its "glow in the dark" eyes. Sofia's Statue: Love or HateWhat's the Story? - YouTube Some of our research found that K-12 school curricula in Canada, Egypt and Greece lack a detailed and balanced account of the ancient and existing non-Abrahamic or pagan traditions. ", "I think it is high time we talk calmly about the past 75 years, Pavlov told RFE/RL on May 21. Later, the medieval church of St. Spas was built on the same place but was completely destroyed in the Second World War. As a result, the Museum of Socialist Art is a curious example of how a museum can help establish a national historical narrative while preserving and neutralizing controversial artifacts. In fact, when the museum opened, many criticized the move as long overdue. Among the most organized of these efforts to civilize through religion were government-sanctioned and supported residential school systems. [2], In 2012, an exhibition on "The Cultural Opening of Bulgaria to the World", which was the creation of Lyudmila daughter of Todor Zhivkov who ruled in 1953, and which brought into focus "a golden age of socialist culture" was also exhibited at this museum. All of these monument parks serve a similar purpose: to be a receptacle for communist statues from around the country and to neutralize the works by displaying them together. Surrounded by controversy, a four-metre-high statue of 10th century Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuil was to be unveiled in central Sofia on June 8, amid calls for a postponement and rethink of the placing of the statue and with the row extending even to the appearance of its glow in the dark eyes. For editorial, advertising and general inquiries, please e-mail [emailprotected]. Russia, accused of carrying out numerous attacks on perceived enemies abroad, has dismissed the reports. The Sveta Sofia Statue was erected in 2000 and just in two days! Monument to the Deity All-Holy Sofia: Apparently a statue which has caused controversy in Sofia - See 622 traveler reviews, 377 candid photos, and great deals for Sofia, Bulgaria, at Tripadvisor. Strategically placed, the Sveta Sofia Statue is one of the emblems of the city. Here's a breakdown of the factors at play. Why is there controversy over Turkey declaring Hagia Sophia a mosque? Like Bulgarians with a bust of Lenin, Americans decided that a statue of Robert E. Lee no longer belonged in the public space because it amounted to a tacit endorsement of that ideology. Dont forget to check the catacombs below, 2022 Tweek Ltd., All Rights Reserved Tour operators license number PK-01-8025 Made with in Bulgaria. Last week, a U.S. federal court sided with Vermont Law. Mosaics depicting Jesus, Mary and Christian saints that were plastered over in line with Islamic rules were uncovered through arduous restoration work for the museum. sought to challenge and distance itself from its contemporary and powerful Arabian peoples seen as pagan idol worshippers. This video will uncover the mystery behind the statue and why it has become controversial. The mosaics will be covered with curtains during Muslim prayer, officials have said. Cyprus also condemned Mr Erdogan's decision, said Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides. Following this controversy a public referendum was held and the people of Arcata voted on whether to keep the statue. Statue of Sveta Sofia - Wikipedia The 8-yard statue of St. Sophia, rises to a 14 meters high pole right in the heart of Sofia. "I continue to hope that the mayor of Sofia will finally respond to my call for the liberation of our city from the symbols of the totalitarian era," Konstantin Pavlov, the mayor of Sofias Lozenets district, wrote in a Facebook post on May 20. The museum's collection of large and small statues, busts, and paintings represents the period from 1944 to 1989, from the establishment of the People's Republic of Bulgaria to the fall of communism. And the April removal from a Prague district of a statue of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev, whose armies completed Pragues liberation on May 9, 1945, has strained relations between Russia and the Czech Republic. 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