Daniel: Praise the name of God forever and ever, for all wisdom and power belong to Him. He sets in motion the times and the ages; He deposes kings and installs others; He gives wisdom to the wise and grants knowledge to those with understanding. He reveals deep truths and hidden secrets; He knows what lies veiled in the darkness; pure light radiates from within Him. — Daniel 2:20-22

Thomas Whittemore was the philanthropist/archeologist who oversaw the uncovering of the Byzantine Christian mosaics in one of Christianity’s oldest and largest church structures, the Sancta Sophia (which translates: Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul. These mosaics had been covered in plaster by the Ottoman-Turks upon converting the building into a mosque some 500 years earlier. Whittemore and his team uncovered these works of art from 1935-1939. Even as recently as 2011 more mosaics had been uncovered. 

There is new concern over the fate of the Christian mosaics in the Sancta Sophia as the Turkish government reconverted the building into a functioning mosque on July 2, 2020. Ceiling mosaics depicting Christ angels, etc. have been painted over. Others are now hidden behind curtains. Archeologists are most worried for the maintenance and preservation of the artworks with the current situation.