"We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth… nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it"
- Primary Chronicles; Kieven Rus' conversion to Orthodoxy
Inside Hagia Sophia.
Antonius could not describe the scenery he saw inside the Hagia Sophia, even the strongest word expressing the beauty and wonders of structures lost their power inside the Basillica.
Poets, travelers, wrights who ever had the luck to travel to Constantinople and be an audience of this ancient old monument accounted that this entire place makes them find it hard to differentiate whether they are still in the world of the living, or have they ascended to heaven. This is nonsense in Antonius' perspective, because he know feels like he is already in heaven, no man's work can ever achieve this.
If anyone would ask Antonius where is heaven now, he would point upwards towards the dome of Hagia Sophia without any hesitation, and exclaim 'Aye look, there it is, the heaven'.
Antonius is no professional to scrutinise the classical columns and antiquity mosaic arts, he just finds them gorgeously crafted but cannot tell what is really significant about these things. However, things are different for the dome as it is the most striking thing to be seen in this super structure.
But for people like Antonius who is a first timer, he only got attracted by the scenery of this Basilica on a broader scale failing to notice the troubled state of Hagia Sophia, like those mossy walls, cracked bricks, poorly maintained mosaic arts, crumbling corners of pillars and ornate interiors, fading of colours on the painting of the six winged angel on the dome.
"Admiral?" Seeing the admiral suddenly stopping in his path, Markos waved before his eyes waking him up.
"Ah, yes." Antonius made a shy smile. "Sorry, I've never seen this kind of things before."
"It is fine." Markos laughed. "You aint the first man behaving like this… Anyways, please be quiet admiral…"
Antonius looked downwards at the nave under the dome, there is a ongoing Orthodox liturgy which is attended by a few hundred people, men, women and children, listening to the words of a bearded man standing in front of the altar behind a table. The ladies standing in the northern sector of the nave with the iconography of Virgin Mary, and the gents on the southern sector of the nave with the iconography of Jesus Christ.
The clergy man on top, which Antonius cannot see clearly from this distance, lifted two candle casted in golden plating up facing towards the crowd descending the blessings of God singing some Greek holy rhythm in the process which Antonius cannot understand. Then the clergy went on to read a portion of script from the liturgy book Psalter facing the Mosaic Icon of Jesus Christ. Two other clergies each carrying a candle stand stood by the side facing each other, and another clergy facing the crowd carrying the patriarchal three barred cross.
Antonius could not bare this irrespirable atmosphere of this religious ceremony, he fidgeted around and after a while asked Markos who is standing beside him with both hands in front, head lowered and eyes closed listening to the rhythms.
"I thought that the emperor mentioned that this city has ran out of wealth?"
Markos had to open his eyes and reply to Antonius' question. "Ehh… Admiral, I am not really sure about the statues of the national treasury, you need to ask the Sakellarios Lord Issac Phrangopoulos for this."
"I mean…" Antonius pointed towards all those gold plated cross, relics, icons, grails, silk linens and clothing. "All of these… If melted, minted into coins and ingots, should be a pretty sum of money, you get me?"
Markos is shocked hearing this taking a while to figure out the irreverence words Antonius has just spoken. He replied with a forced smile on his face. "I am sorry, admiral, I am afraid that I am not in the position to answer this question…"
"You guard the gates of Hagia Sophia everyday right?" Antonius suddenly changed the topic.
"Yes! Lord De'Ricci." Markos wiped the cold sweat off his fore head. "I am in charge of guarding the imperial gates of Hagia Sophia ever since I received my post a year ago…"
"Tell me, my friend." Antonius stopped staring at the ceremony still going on beneath in the nave and looked at Markos beside him. "If you are guarding the gates every day, is there any carts going out of the gates carrying loads of these relics?"
"Yes, Lord De'Ricci." Markos heaved a sigh of relief. "I know about that… actually I should tell you about this in case you don't know. The gold used to pay the mercenaries and foreign reinforcements came from the monasteries, churches and chantries across the city. Under the calling of the previous Ecumenical Patriarch Athanasius II may God bless his souls, all righteous Christians of Rome in the holdings belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarch willingly donated a portion of their wealth to the empire for the defence of the capital."
Antonius nodded and smirked in satisfaction. "At least they still knows that they still knows they have a country and we people shielding them from the enemies in front giving them the chance to continue doing their stuff over here."
Then, Antonius patted the shoulder of Markos, and went away walking towards the altar with Markos hurriedly following behind right through the middle of the nave separating the crowd shoving them to the sides interrupting the liturgy ceremony halting the prayers and rhythms as all the people around stares with fury burning in their eyes at this rogue.
However, Antonius does not mind about all those stares and whispers of curses on him, he shifted his sight upwards towards the fancy looking clergy on the altar.
The clergy, too, noticed this non believing rogue beneath him.
The two men, an old and a young, had their eyes meet at last.
And they recognised each other.