While
Istanbul is mainly known for hosting countless Islamic historical sites from
the Ottomans, visitors of the city should not overlook its grand Byzantine
history. Though a good number of them were either closed or converted into
mosques during the Ottoman Empire’s reign, you can still find many churches in the city. If you are interested in these
magnificent places of worship, here are the greatest historic churches in
Istanbul.
Church
of St. Anthony of Padua
Easily
one of the most popular and important historical churches in Istanbul, Church
of St. Anthony of Padua is impossible to miss during your walk on Istiklal
Avenue in the Beyoglu district. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in the
city, both in terms of the building and community size. It is also one of the
few catholic churches in Istanbul. But the building we see today is not
the original one, which was built in the year 1725 and later taken down. The
current church was finished in 1912 and the adjacent apartments were built
simultaneously with the church. Designed by the Levantine (Christian Ottomans
of French descent) architect Giulio Mongeri, the church still functions today. Even
though it is run by Italian priests, masses happen in a variety of languages,
such as Turkish, English, Italian and Polish.
Pammakaristos
Church
Also
known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos, this building is one of the
most known Orthodox churches in Istanbul. The current building was built
at the end of 13th century by Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas. After
Glabas died, his wife Maria built a parakkleison (a type of side chapel) next
to the church and buried her husband there. When she passed away, she was also
buried here. After Ottomans took Istanbul, this church served as a nunnery and
held the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate from 1456 to 1597. When Ottomans conquered
Georgia in 1601, they converted the church into a mosque and renamed it
“Fethiye Mosque” (Mosque of Conquest). After the proclamation of republic in
Turkey, both the parakkleison and the mosque was mostly neglected. But in 1949,
Byzantine Institute of America and Dumbarton Oaks restored the complex and
discovered the many amazing mosaics inside. In 1955, the parakkleison became a
museum and in 1960, the mosque part was reopened. They remain as it is today.
Inside,
you can find many beautiful and historical Christian art pieces such as Christ
and the twelve prophets on the main dome, bishop portraits, Christian
inscriptions, old crosses, and various mosaics. The most prominent mosaic is
the Baptism, in which you can see Saint John, four angels and a man baptizing
Christ in the Jordan River.
Hagia
Irene Church
Though
it does not function as a church anymore, Hagia Irene is still considerably
famous and has a grand history behind it. “Hagia Irene” means “Holy Peace in
Greek, and according to a legend, this name of the church originates from a
woman called Penelope. Allegedly, this woman was tortured when she invited
people to Christianism in Constantinople. But miraculously, she was not harmed
in any way. When the people of Constantinople saw her miracle, they accepted
Christ and the city became more peaceful than ever before. Seeing this, Constantine
the Great made her a saint, gave her the name “St. Hagia Eirene” and ordered
the construction of a church in her name.
But
the church we see today is not the original one. It was damaged, destroyed and
rebuilt many times, especially in the 6th, 7th and 8th
centuries. After the conquest of Istanbul, Mehmet the Conqueror respected the
church and did not convert it to a museum. It was mainly used as an arsenal. In
1726, Hagia Irene became the first Ottoman museum and had many weapon
collections for display. But during 1970s, the weapons were transferred to Turkish
Ministry of Culture. Today, it serves under the name Hagia Irene Museum and
occasionally hosts art exhibitions and music concerts. You can find it very
close to the Topkapi Palace.
Bulgarian
St. Stephen Church
Located
next to the coast of Halic (Golden Horn), this famous Bulgarian Orthodox church
is known for the material used in its construction: iron. While it looks like
the church was made of ordinary stone from the outside, its exterior is in fact
made of cast iron. Originally, there was a small, wooden church on the spot of
this church. But a fire took down the wooden building and this magnificent
church was made on its place. Bulgarian Orthodox Christians wanted to leave the
Fener the Greek Orthodox Patriciate, and this church was born. Designed by the
Armenian architect Hovsep Aznavur, the 500 tons of prefabricated iron parts of
the church were shipped from Vienna to Istanbul via the Black Sea. The result
was – and still is – one of the most beautiful churches you can see in Turkey.
It was designed with heavy neo-gothic influences, which is especially visible
on its interior design and it is definitely one of the most beautiful Orthodox Churhes in Istanbul.
Aya
Yorgi Church
Aya
Yorgi Church is not only one of the most important churches of Istanbul,
but is also a great reason to get a Prince’s Island
tour Its
monastery part dates as back as 1751, but its church was built in 1905. It is
located on the biggest island in the Princes’ Islands archipelago, Buyukada, and
this Greek church gets its name from Aya Yorgos, also known as the Saint
George. Because it is built on the highest hill of the island, it has a gorgeous
view of the Bosphorus.
Today,
many Christian still visit this beautiful church regularly. The church sees the
greatest number of visitors on 23 April (St. George’s day) and 24 September (The
commemoration day of Aya Thekla). In these two days, visitors perform a special
ritual. At the start of the hill that leads to Aya Yorgi Church, also known as
the “path of torment”, visitors take their shoes off and walk to the church,
never speaking a single word along the way. A religious story is the basis of
this tradition. In this story, while Buyukada was under siege, priests buried
sacred religious objects to the spot where the church is today. Many years
later, a shepherd saw Saint George in his dream, telling him to climb the hill
and dig when he hears the sound of bells. The shepherd did just that, and did
not speak a word. At the top of the hill, he heard the bells and dug, finding
the buried religious objects.
Inside
this small and mesmerizing church, you can find many religious icons,
paintings, monuments and motifs, including Aya Yorgi’s own icon.