“O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple;
Psalms 78:1 Septuagaint version
“Unto you, O Theotokos, invincible champion, Your city in thanksgiving ascribes the victory for the deliverance from sufferings.But having your might unassailable, free me from all dangers, so that I might cry out to you: “Hail! O bride, Ever -Virgin”
The Akathistos hymn
“As soon as the Turks were inside the City, they began to seize and enslave every person who came their way.; all those who tried to offer resistance were put to the sword. In many places, the ground could not be seen, as it was covered by heaps of corpses. There were unprecedented events: all sorts of lamentations, countless rows of slaves consisting of noble ladies, virgins, and nuns, who were being dragged by the Turks by their headgear , hair, and braids, out of the shelter of Churches to the accompaniment of mourning. There was the crying of children. The looting of our sacred and holy buildings. What horror can such sounds cause? The Turks did not hesitate to trample over the blood and body of Christ poured all over the ground and were passing his precious vessels from hand to hand; some were broken to pieces while others intact, were being snatched away. Our precious decorations were treated in a similar manner. Our holy icons, decorated with gold, silver, and precious stones were stripped, thrown to the ground, and then kicked. Our wooden decorations in the churches were pulled down and turned into couches and stables. The enemy’s horses were clothed in priestly garments of silk embroidered with golden thread, which were also used as tablecloths. They stripped our saintly vessels of their precious pearls, they scattered and trampled all sacred relics. Many other lamentable crimes of sacrilege were committed by these precursors of antiChrist.
Christ, our Lord, how inscrutable and incomprehensible your wise judgements! Our greatest and holiest Church of Saint Sophia, the earthly heaven , the throne of God’s glory, the vehicle of the cherubim and second firmament, God’s creation, such edifice and monument , the joy of all earth, the beautiful and more beautiful than than the beautiful, became a place of feasting, its inner sanctum was turned into a dining room, its holy altars supported food and wine, and were also employed in the enactment of their perversions with our women, virgins, and children. Who could have been so insensitive as not to wail, Holy Church? Everywhere there was misfortune , everyone was touched by pain. There were lamentations and weeping in every house, screaming in the crossroads, and sorry in all Churches; the groaning of grown men and the shrieking of women accompanied looting, enslavement, separation, and rape. Venerable nobility commanded no respect, wealth afforded no protection. Misfortune manifested itself in squares and corners everywhere in the city. No place remained un-searched and untouched. Christ, our Lord, protect all Christian cities and lands from similar affliction and sorrow! All gardens and houses within the walls were searched and dug to yield possible hidden wealth, thus many old and recent treasures, as well other precious possessions, came to light and enriched our enemies.”
Account of the Fall of Constantinople by George Sphrantzes friend of the Emperor Constantine Paleologos
from “The Fall of the Byzantine Empire A chronicle of George Sphrantzes 1401-1477 Translated by Marios Phillipides