Istanbul Graffitti, Turkey

The government does an admirable job of keeping the city clean. There’s little graffiti of the normal sordid repetitive north american kind. The sad fact about graffiti is that some of the artist are really talented and because there is so much schlock the best of the best getting painted over by the clean freaks.  That said there was some lovely street art in an area of the city which the locals are trying very hard to save from a shopping mall hotel complex.  Right now the area has that Left Bank Paris flavour that spawns real artistic and intellectual creativity.
The struggle that’s going on in Istanbul today was immortalized by Joni Mitchel’s song that said “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”  The struggle over the park with a fight between police and locals at Taksim Square was the same competition of ideology - high rise mentality versus trees. There’s no ’third space’ in Istanbul. The Taksim park which my new Friend, Deborah had been through was also the subject of a very fine art work which we saw at the Istanbul Modern Museum.  One day bulldozers came in and the next students stood before them. This was followed by politicians who couldn’t be arrested taking a stand against the police and bull dozers. Then hundreds of thousands joined in including footballers who were famous.  There was tear gas and the normal cast of suspects and then the police left.  The park remains.  It’s a lovely place.  I love ‘green space’ or ’third spaces’ in these great cities.
Vancouver has its famous Stanley Park, loved and used by all the city. The encroachment there is not by bulldozers since we’ve been fortunate to keep them out. Increasingly addicts and alcoholics who spend their rent cheques on drugs are sleeping rough in the park and threatening to burn the place down with their open fires.  Recently a Downtown Eastside Park was taken over by a tent city, claiming allegiance to Occupy, which in New York was a wholly different phenomena than this tent city.
Urban planning and city dynamics are strained always with the history of riots in Byzantine Constantinople as just evidence of the age old conflicts that arise in cities.  In Montreal the graft and corruption of the city officials these last few years in Canada made the middle east look like choir boys. Millions of dollars were pocketed by city officials to allow all manner of abuse of the French Canadian population and it’s city.  The “enquiry’ , as so many such enquiries are  continues, but is limited and most likely the real kingpins will continue their graft and corruption while their cronies get away to do dirt another day.  In Vancouver the Portland Hotel Society had such a case of gross corruption and abuse of public funding but got off with loss of job and keeping of million dollar homes bought with the noney that was supposed to go to the homeless.
I couldn’t at my age be ‘holier than thou’ with the corruption cases I heard of in Istanbul because we have our own. However our graft isn’t covered up by ‘religious claims’ but just seen as white collar crime.  In Istanbul, probably because so many people among the radical Moslem population are so poorly educated the leadership can claim to be acting for god when indeed they’re just serving their own lust and greed. Apparently some palace is being built with public funds by the outwardly pious.  Istanbul needs a dose of our ‘televangelists’ who were caught literally with their pants down and hands in the cookie jar.  The trouble is the Imans as we seen with the Charlie Hebno killing have convinced the populace that ‘transparency’ isn’t good for Allah, whereas I believe ‘we’re as sick as our secrets’ and can only have good politicians with ‘open society’.  Otherwise psychopaths will continue to masquerade as saints while stealing from the children, the widows, the poor and the old.  Istanbul seems to be having this problem on a larger scale than Vancouver. But Vancouver is young and 2 million whereas Istanbul is 12 million.  The more the merrier when it comes to ‘white collar crime’ .
 

Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchal Church of St. George, Istanbul, Turkey

My guide, Mehmet Tetik (www.turkishguides.org\tetik) drove me in his car to the see of the Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is the highest see of the Orthodox Church and has retained it’s centre in Istanbul (Constantinople) for over seventeen centuries.  Orthodox means “right belief” and “right worship”. Orthodox Christianity adheres to the teachings of the seven ecumenical councils, all of which took place in or around Constantinople.The Ecumenical Patriarchate is known as the “Great Church of Christ” and it is the reference point for liturgical and administrative matters. It is also known as called the “Phanar” or “lighthouse” which derives from the name of the old Greek neighbourhood where it is located.
The church of St. George (the Great Martyr and Trophy Bearer) is the fifth church to house the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the 15th century.  Before that it was a convent for Orthodox nuns.
The Church of Constantinople was founded by St. Andrew, the first apostle.  His disciple, Stachys, was the first bishop of Byzantium (38-54). After Constantinople became the capital of the Roman Empire in 330, the Church’s status was elevated to it’s present position. The Fourth Ecumenical Council (453) granted Constantinople equal ranking to Rome.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a citizen of Turkey was elected 270th Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome in 1991.
Mehmet explained that often famous and important people from Greece will bring their children here to be baptized or their marriages will be held here.  He said that he believes it’s the hope of the Greeks that they would once again have Constantinople as their own. They lost it in the Turkish War of Independence when Ataturk leading the Turkish forces pushed the Allies and Greeks out of Istanbul to establish the present republic.  The main black entrance door remains closed to the church as a reminder of the atrocities that occurred at that time against Christians and against the Orthodox church.
Mehmet also explained that the twin headed eagle is the symbol of the Orthodox Church since the early days of Constantinople as it represented the Eagle looking to the east and to the west.
Apparently the Pope comes to visit here and when he does he returns relics that the Crusaders stole when they invaded Constantinople.  The joke is that it will be a thousand years before they’re all returned at the speed of the present process.
There's a marvellous piety those I know who are Othodox Christianity. Personally I'm attracted to the celebration of Christian Spirituality in the church. There's an overt appreciation of the mysticism of the "Cloud of Unknowing" , the teaching of a European middle age monk, in the church. My very positive outlook on the Orthodox church might well be coloured by the first member I grew to know well, a poet and book store manager.



St. John the Baptist.

Chora Museum, Istanbul

Along with Hagia Sophia, the Chora Museum was a highlight of my trip to Istanbul. Much of this was thanks to my guide, Mehmet Tetik (www.turkishguides.org\tetik). The whole story of the Bible is told on the ceiling of this Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, a byzantine masterpiece.It was originally built outside the walls as part of a monastery complex. The original church was built in early 5th century outside Constantines 4th century walls but was incorporated within the walls when Theodosius built his walls in the5th century.The church was rebuilt by Maria Dukaina mother in law of Alexis I Comnenus in the late 11th century. Part of the church collapsed in the 12th century and was rebuilt Isaac Comnenus, Alexus’ son. The powerful Byzantine statesman Metochites endowed the church with many of it’s mosaics and frescoes. Fifty years after the conquest by the Ottoman’s the church was converted into a mosque by plastering over the mosaics. Restoration began in 1948 and in 1958 the church was reopened as a museum.
Mehmet described and pointed out the story of first Mary’s birth in one room to the birth of Jesus and the life of Jesus through another room.  Having it described and pointed out made it more like it would have been experienced by the illiterate in ancient times, as a picture book depiction. It was a remarkable experience.

Christ as “The Land of the Living"



St. Peter holding the keys.

St. Paul                                                                                 Mary and Jesus

The story of the rods and how Joseph’s rod sprouted leaves so Mary was given to him.


Donkey looking in the manger. Mary’s feet bound to show virgin birth.


Herod’s men killing children under two.

Journey to Bethlehem.

Miracle of water into wine.

Anastasis - Jesus who has broken down the gates of hell is pulling Adam and Eve out of their tombs.

Virgin Mother and Child in dome