"Wash your sins, not only your face." It was inscribed on a holy water font outside the entrance of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. It's not a simple phrase. It is a perfect Greek palindrome (καρκινική φράση) that reads exactly the same forwards and backwards. Written in capitals as ΝΙΨΟΝΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑΜΗΜΟΝΑΝΟΨΙΝ, it becomes a mirror ambigram: a linguistic and visual masterpiece of the Greek mind. Attributed to Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, the great Cappadocian Father and Theologian of the 4th century, it was first inscribed on a holy water font outside the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The message is pure Greek wisdom; outer purity is worthless without inner purity. It proves that the Greek Philosophy passed the flame of wisdom to Greek Orthodoxy. This phrase reminds us the maxim of Pittacus of Mytilene, one of the Seven Sages: "Μὴ τὴν ὄψιν καλλωπίζου, ἀλλ’ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἴσθι καλός", which means: "Do not adorn your face, but be noble in your deeds and character." This is the essence of Greek paideia and of Orthodox Christianity as it took shape in the Eastern Roman Empire. The soul before appearance, virtue before vanity, substance before surface. The inscription survives today in Greek monasteries and churches, from Malevi in Arcadia and Preveli in Crete to the Panagia Ekatontapiliani on Paros, Vlatadon in Thessaloniki, St Martin's Church and other fonts of several churches in Paris, Britain and beyond. It's a living proof of the unbroken continuity of the Hellenic spirit from antiquity, through Byzantium, to the present day. Barbarians conquered the body of Hagia Sophia, but they never conquered the mind that produced such phrases. If you want to support me in the effort I’m making, please consider becoming a subscriber to my X account for only $2. I write about the ancient, medieval, and modern history of Greece and what Christians went through because of Islam. Always with primary sources and historical facts. Thanks for reading me and for all the support. - Homer Pavlos