of
Diana of Ephesus of its finest pillars, took columns of pure white
marble from the Temple of Minerva at Athens, and divested the shrines
of Isis and Osiris in Egypt of their choicest granite columns. He called
upon the quarries of Italy, Greece, and the AEgean Isles for marbles of
every hue produced by them, so that, when completed, the temple should
contain the most beautiful marbles the world could yield, and these he
ordered to be highly polished and artistically arranged. To hasten the
construction, ten thousand workmen under the direction of one hundred
architects were employed, and in less than six years the immense
structure, 'the great Church of Santa Sophia, or Heavenly Wisdom,' one
of the most famous churches of the world, was ready for dedication.

"The great altar was built of silver and gold, the seven chairs of the
bishops were plated with silver, the crosses and crucifixes were
composed of pure gold, and the altar cloth and vestments were encrusted
with precious stones. Jeweled images of saints, sacred paintings of
fabulous value, and holy relics to be adored by kneeling worshipers,
were arranged around the walls of the building. The huge doors of the
temple were made of cedar, ivory, amber, and silver; the ceiling
glistened with golden mosaics; the walls shone with polished marbles:
and the capitals of the columns were laced with delicate carvings inset
with mother-of-pearl, silver, and precious stones.

"On the day of the dedication of the temple a jubilant procession of
patriarchs, bishops, priests, and people, in admiring wonder, entered
the completed building with songs and rejoicings. The Emperor, at the
head of the procession, overcome with pride and joy in the glorious
consummation of his purpose, threw himself upon the floor and
exultingly exclaimed: 'Glory to God who has deemed me worthy to
accomplish so great a work. O Solomon, I have surpassed thee!'

"In this sanctuary for over nine centuries the people worshiped God
according to the Christian faith in great pomp and with much ceremony.
The bishops officiated at the golden altar reading from golden lettered
manuscripts, and were assisted in the service by scores of richly robed
priests and hundreds of selected musicians, while the air was filled
with the fragrance of rising incense. But during the latter part of the
Middle Ages while the power and glory of the Roman Empire was gradually
declining, the rival Mohammedan Turkish Empire in A