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Ecclesiastical: Divine
One of the most magnificent shrines ever known was the old Constantinople Cathedral (now the Imperial Mosque St. Sophia), which was dedicated to the Eternal Wisdom, i.e., to the Second Divine Person, associated, even by Solomon, with Jehovah in the creation of the world. This temple was erected in A.D. 325, and, after having been ravaged twice by fire, was restored by the Emperor Justinian in 568, after the plan, says tradition, of an angel who came to that monarch in a dream.
The angel is stated to have appeared a second time as a eunuch, in a brilliant white dress, on a Saturday, to a boy who was guarding the tools of the masons, and ordered him to bring the workmen immediately, in order to hasten the building. As the boy refused, the gleaming eunuch swore by the Wisdom, i.e., by the Word of God, that he would not depart until the boy returned, and that he, in the meantime, would watch over the building. When the boy was led before the emperor, and could not find the eunuch who had appeared to him, the emperor perceived that it had been an angel; and in order that he might for ever keep his word as guardian of the temple, he sent away the boy, laden with presents, to pass the rest of his life in the Cyclades, and resolved, according to the word of the angel, to dedicate the church to the Word of God, and Divine Wisdom. Again the angel appeared, a third time, as a eunuch, in a brilliant white garb, when the building was finished as far as the cupola, but when there was not sufficient money to finish it, he led the mules of the treasury into a subterranean vault, and laded them with eighty hundredweight of gold, which they brought to the emperor, who immediately recognized the wonderful hand of the angel in this unexpected caravan of gold. Thus did an angel give the plan, the name, and the funds for the construction of this wonder of the Middle Ages.
Nor did the angel end here, for a dispute arising between the emperor and the architect, whether the light should fall through one or two open arched windows, the angelic visitor appeared to the emperor, clad in imperial purple and red shoes, and instructed him that the light should fall upon the altar through three windows, in honour of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The altar was to be more costly than gold, and consequently it was composed of every species of precious materials, matted together with gold and silver, with crusted pearls and jewels, and its cavity, which was called the sea, was then set with the most costly precious stones.
Above the altar, which has been described, rose, in the form of a tower, the tabernacle, on which rested a golden cupola, ornamented with golden lilies, between which was a golden cross weighing seventy-five pounds, adorned with precious stones. The pulpit was surmounted by a golden dais, with a gold cross weighing one hundred pounds, and glittering with carbuncles and pearls. Precious metals and costly jewels everywhere--no wonder that, on the opening of the temple, the emperor exclaimed, with outstretched arms, from the pulpit, "God be praised, who hath esteemed me worthy to complete such a work! Solomon, I have surpassed thee!"
The richest shrine in the world must undoubtedly be that in the famous ISLAND OF SRIVANGAM, in the great temple of which are jewels and treasures of inestimable value. A brief account of them is given in the Athenaum (Oct. 23rd, 1875).
This collection chiefly consists of ornaments for the adornment of the god, the Kristnar Avatar of Vishnu, on especial occasions. There are armlets, and necklaces, and breastplates, and crowns, all set with gems--diamond, and ruby, and emerald, topaz, and opal, and sapphire, and pearl. One necklace, of emeralds, rubies, and diamonds, with pearl pendants, is computed to be worth six lakhs of rupees (pound 60,000). The god has several umbrellas, with covers of pearl network, and one of these bears, according to estimation, one hundred and twenty-five thousand small, but extremely clear, coloured pearls. Amongst the treasures are huge vessels of purest gold, under the weight of which the attendants who show them to the few that are allowed to inspect the temple treasures, stagger as they bring them into the show-chamber. The mace of the god is a mass of gold, sheathed, for the greater part, by large flat diamonds. It is impossible to estimate the intrinsic value of the Srivangam gems. They are badly cut, and some of the largest emeralds, rubies, and diamonds, are scarcely cut at all. Yet, some, wretchedly cut as they are, emit a surprising lustre. There are several hundreds of huge pear-shaped pearls, but these again are bored through the centre; and this, although it may enhance the value of the gems in the Hindoo's eyes, naturally lessens their value in the estimation of an European jeweller. The Srivangam pagoda received a valuable gift of a portion of these jewels, a few years ago, from a peculiarly holy ascetic. This man, a Brahmin, vowed that for ten years he would not eat a morsel of food or drink a drop of water on any day that he did not receive for the god a donation of a hundred rupees (ten pounds). He was at first nearly starved to death, but such a devotee was not to be lost to the faith. The pious rallied round him, and at the end of the stipulated term, he presented the temple with a magnificent necklace of emeralds, rubies, and other ornaments, worth in all pound 25,000.