The long genocide
Notre Dame's Gothic aspiration
Became a symbol of the French nation.
It took one hundred years
To build Notre Dame cathedral
1160 - 1260.
Within two hundred years
Of its completion
The largest cathedral in the Christian world
St Sophia's cathedral in Constantinople
Built to the glory of God
In 537AD,
The centre of Orthodox Christianity,
Was converted into an Ottoman mosque.
In 1453
This centre of Orthodox Christianity
Had ceased to be.
Minarets were added to the cathedral.
Constantinople became Istanbul.
In 2019 there are 15 million Muslims in Istanbul
And 2000 Christians - suvivors
Of the longest series of genocides
In the history of the world
Which continue to this day.
In 2014 Daesh launched an offensive
Against the Assyrian Christians of the Nineveh Plain
Near Mosul in Iraq
This was nothing new
The Christian community in Iraq has been under attack
For 1300 years
It is a miracle that they have survived
So long.
keith jeffries
Tue 16th Apr 2019 16:25
John,
As I began to read this work my mind returned to William Dalrymple´s book, "From the Holy Mountain" which is an interesting historical travelogue encompassing the present day world within the confines of the Byzantine Empire. Armenia, Constantinople, the Levant are brought into context along with Palestine where the Christian populations have been systematically eradicated. These atrocities, most notably Armenia have passed by almost unnoticed until now and vehemently denied by the Turkish Government. The remnant in Constantinople to this day suffer perscution and hardship at the hands of their muslim neighbours. The Ecumenical Patriarch still resides there but is almost under House Arrest and shunned from any participation in the national life of the country. A sad tale of woe which has passed by as the world has looked the other way.
Thank you for this reminder
Keith