Active Churchs And Cemeteries

Saint Antoine Church

The Saint Antoine Church is located on İstiklal Street in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Construction began on August 23, 1906 and was completed and opened for religious services in 1912. Its architect, Giulio Mongeri was born in Istanbul. The church was governed by Italian priests and is the greatest Catholic Church in Istanbul with the largest number of congregation. It is a beautiful sample of tolerance and religious acceptance.

The Saint Antoine Church was built in a Neogothic style and in aLatin Cross shape measuring  20 x 50 meters. The walls of the church were covered with mosaic tiles up until a certain level, and the outer facade of the building is made of bricks. The entrance to the church is located on the main street between two apartments which were built to raise money for the church. One enters into a courtyard from the entrance door. The width of the facade of the structure overlooking İstiklal Steet is about 38 meters.

The Saint Antoine Church is a beautiful sample of tolerance and religious acceptance and it is also one of the largest Catholic churches with the busiest congregation in Istanbul.

The Bulgarian Church

The Bulgarian Church was built near the Golden Horn between Ayvansaray Street and Mürsel Paşa Street. Due to nationalistic movements, it was built independently from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate by the Bulgarian minority of the Ottoman Empire who wanted to establish their own church, where they could practice their Orthodox faith. 

After obtaining permission from the state to build a church, they first built a priest house called “Metoh” on Mürsel Paşa Street. According to the inscription on the house, it was completed in 1850. After the house’s construction was completed, a small wooden church was temporarily erected.It was later demolished and the current, larger churchbuilt in its place with an iron frame. The construction plans were prepared by Hovsep Aznavur, an Armenian of born in Istanbul. An international competition was conducted to produce the prefabricated parts of the church. An Austrian firm, R. Ph. Wagner, won the competition. The prefabricated parts were produced in Vienna and transported to Istanbul by ship through the Danube and the Black Sea. After one and a half years work, it was completed and inaugurated in 1898. 

The main skeleton of the prefabricated Stephan Church, which resembles a cross, was made of steel and covered by metal boards. The architectural style comes from the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque periods, and the width of  the side naves are 3 meters and the width of  middle nave is 6 meters. On the six bells in different dimension put  in the bell tower of the church are written statements that they had been moulded for Sveti Stefan Church in Russia.

Virgin Mary Assyrian Church

The Virgin Mary Assyrian Church, also known as Surp Asdvadzadzin, is the only church which was built by Assyrians in Istanbul. It was built on Karakurum Street in Beyoğlu’s Tarlabaşı district. According to the ancient Assyrian Church, sources say that the site on which the church was constructed was bought by the Assyrian community in the 19th century. According to Armenian sources, a church existed there between the years of 1650 and 1780. The church was rebuilt on September 6, 1863 and was opened for religious services and was used by both Armenians and Assyrians as a common sanctuary. In 1870, the church was heavilty damaged in the fire of Istanbul and was extensively restored and renovated in 1878.

The old building of the church was demolished in 1961 and it was rebuilt by Assyrians who reopened it for religous services in a special ceremony in 1961.  It is seen as a graceful example of stone workmanship from the city of Mardin, located in the southeastern part of Turkey. This workmanship is especially seen in the heads of wreathed columns used in the church. In addition to the church building, there is an annex containing a church school and an administrative section.

The Anglikan Church

The Anglican church, used by the Sri Lankan Anglican community, is located on Serdarı Ekrem Street, extending to the Galip Dede Street in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Lord Stratford Canning laid the foundations in 1856. It was built in memory of the English soldiers who participated in the Crimean War and was provided by Sultan Abdülmecid (1823-1861). 

The church is made entirely from stone and has a neogothic architectural style brought from Malta. The church was closed in 1971 due to its decreasing congregation and was re-opened under the leadership of a priest of  the Anglican Church by Sri Lankan refugees in 1991 for religious services. 

Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church

The Hagia Triada (English: Holy Trinity) is a Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul, Turkey. The building was erected in 1880 and is considered the largest Greek Orthodox shrine in Istanbul today.[1] It is still in use by the Greek community of Istanbul.It has about 150 parishioners

Location

The Church is located in Istanbul, in the district of Beyoğlu, in the 

neighborhood of Katip Çelebi, on Meşelik sokak, near Taksim Square

The Church

The property where the Church stands used to be the site of a Greek Orthodox cemetery and hospital.This was demolished in order to build the Church. Its construction, based on the designs of the Ottoman Greek architect P. Kampanaki, began on 13 August 1876 and was completed on 14 September 1880. The Church is built in neo-baroque style with elements of Basilica,[9] with the unusual features of twin bell towers, a large dome and a neo-gothic facade.

Architectural elements such as the dome of the church were only allowed after 1839 during a period known as the Tanzimat under which the restrictions limiting the Freedom of Speech for minorities were loosened and domes were allowed to be constructed as design features of Christian churches. Hagia Triada is the first domed Christian church to be allowed to be built in Istanbul.

The paintings and decorations of the church's interior are the work of painter Sakellarios Megaklis, while the marble works and designs were created by sculptor Alexandros Krikelis. On Church grounds there is also a school, Zapyon Rum Lisesi (Zappeion Greek Lyceum), which continues to serve the Greek community of Istanbul. In the church courtyard there are additional buildings dedicated to social services and also a sacred spring.

Saint Menas   is a Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul.

The edifice was built in 1833 near an early Christian Martyrion of the fourth or fifth century, possibly dedicated to the saints Carpus and Papylus and on the site of an ancient church dedicated to Hagios Polykarpos. The modern church has the same dedication as a nearby water source 

Location

The church is located in Istanbul, in the district of Fatih, in the neighbourhood of Kocamustafapaşa (historically Samatya), on Bestekar Hakkı Sokak. It lies inside the walled city, in an elevated position a short distance from the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The building is protected by a high wall. The Martyrion is located under the church, on İmrahor İlyasbey Caddesi, and currently houses an iron workshop and a car wash shop.

Ayios Dimitrios Church 

It is located in the present day Kurtuluş Square at the end stop. The story goes that after the conquest of Istanbul, when a little church called Ayios Dimitrios in Kasımpaşa was converted into a mosque, the Ayios Dimitrios icon it contained was moved to Ayios Athanasios church on the hill and the church was known henceforth by that name. Not only did the icon give its name to the church, but the village slowly springing up around it was also referred to from time to time as Ayios Dimitrios or Aya Dimitri. At a later date, another church was constructed close by called Ayios Athanisios.

 Although it is not known when the church was first constructed, according to the notes of travellers and the city plans it can be dated to the mid sixteenth century. The present day building has been shaped as a result of constructions, extensions and repairs conducted in 1726, 1782 and 1798.

 The following information is provided in Greek letters in the oldest historical inscription on the narthex wall on the west face of the church: “This holy church is dedicated to the great religious martyr Saint Dimitrios, and has been constructed from the foundations of the section dedicated to Great Peter Saint Athanasios of Alexandria. The 27th day of the month of December of the year 1726.”

The Ayios Dimitrios Church has a basilica plan and a tiled roof. It is a 5-nave structure, which is a rarity among the Rum churches of Istanbul. To the right and left of the main section are narrower sections divided off with columns. The church set in a well-tended garden surrounded by high walls has preserved its importance to this day, and every year on 26th October the feast of Ayios Dimitrios is celebrated with religious ceremonies.

 The bell tower of the church stands proud of the building in the north east of the garden. As it has been demolished and reconstructed a number of times the original form is not known. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a wooden tower made from two stout trunks of walnut. The present tower is quite new and made of stone. The bell was molded in Tsarist Russia and sent to Istanbul.

Church of St. Mary Draperis

Saint Benoit Church 

Saint Mary Draperis (Italian: Santa Maria Draperis, Turkish: Meryem Ana Draperis Latin Katolik Kilisesi) is a Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, important for historical reasons. Established in 1584, the church is one of the most ancient Roman Catholic parishes of Istanbul.

In 1453, a few months before the Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople, Observant Franciscan Friars completed the construction of the church of Saint Anthony of the Cypresses (Italian: Sant'Antonio dei Cipressi) in Sirkeci (at that time center of the venetian Merchants in Constantinople), on the southern bank of the Golden Horn, but soon after the Conquest they were forced to abandon it. After several peregrinations, in 1584 they moved to Galata, in the neighborhood of Mumhane (English: Wax Han), where a Levantine woman, Clara Maria Draperis, endowed them a house with a tiny chapel. The altar of the chapel was adorned with a wooden icon portraying the Virgin Mary. The chapel burned completely in 1660, and the icon was rescued by a member of the Draperis family. In case of total destruction because of fire, Ottoman law imposed the restitution of the land to the State. Because of that, in order to rebuild the church the friars should have first asked for a Sultan's Firman allowing the reconstruction, but in absence of that the just rebuilt church was demolished in 1663 by the Ottoman government. The friars then abandoned the neighborhood and settled uphill in Pera, in a place named Dörtyol (four roads). They built there in 1678 a new church, which burned in 1697, was rebuilt and destroyed again by the strong earthquake of 1727. Erected once again, the edifice burned for the third time in 1767 and was finally rebuilt for the fifth time in 1769. After each catastrophe the icon of the Virgin could always be rescued, and embellishes still today the main altar.Together with St. Anthony of Padua, also on Istiklal Caddesi, and SS. Peter and Paul in Galata, the church was one of the three Roman Catholic Parishes in the Levantine quarter of Istanbul. During the 19th century S. Mary became one of the most prestigious Catholic Churches in the city. In 1803 its parish had a flock of 470 Levantines, plus several Arab Catholics from Aleppo and Armenian Catholics.

The church is still officiated by reformed Franciscan friars who offer daily masses in Italian and mass in Spanish every Sunday.

Saint Benoit (French: Saint Benoît; Turkish: Saint Benoit Latin Katolik Kilisesi; also Italian: Santa Maria della Cisterna) is a Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey, important for historical reasons. Established in 1427, the shrine is the oldest Catholic church of Istanbul still in use.

The edifice lies in Istanbul, in the district of Beyoğlu, in the neighborhood of Karaköy (ancient Galata), almost at the border with Tophane, at Kemeraltı Caddesi 11, on a terrace at the top of a staircase.

On May 12, 1427, Benedictine friar Dom Nicolas Meynet, together with friars from Genoa founded a monastery in Constantinople, on the southeastern slope of the Galata hill. The Genoese had since a few years enlarged for the sixth and last time the wall which protected their Peyre Galata citadel, and the monastery was built just inside the new ramparts.The church, jointly dedicated to St. Benedict and the Virgin Mary (Latin: Sancta Maria de Misericordia), lay on the ruins of an ancient church and near a large cistern, both Byzantine. Due to that, the church was also known as of "Santa Maria della Cisterna". On May 13, 1449, the Friars joined the congregation of St. Justine from Padova. In 1450, the little monastery had 16 monks. In 1453, shortly before the Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople, the friars sent all the relics and the religious ornaments of their church to Chios and then to Genoa, to rescue them from the impeding Ottoman attack.

Ottoman Age

After 1478, the community was repeatedly shuttered by fights among friars, until Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent menaced to convert the building into a mosque for the Moors who-expelled in those years from Spain-were resettling in Galata. Thanks to the intercession of King Francois I of France, the friars could remain in the complex, which became the Royal chapel of the Ambassador of France at the Porte. In 1540, French voyager Pierre Gilles visited the site, and described the giant cistern with 300 columns, which were later dismantled and sold by the Genoese. On 18 November 1583, members of the Society of Jesus, sent by Pope Gregory XIII upon request of the Magnifica Communità di Pera (the Genoese administration in Galata), took charge of the church, founding a school in the precincts of the monastery. The shrine burned several times: after the first fire in 1610, it was restored by a Venetian and French endowment. St. Benoit was the only church to be spared by the great fire of Galata of 1660, but the monastery in that occasion was damaged and plundered. During the seventeenth century the monastery's life was disturbed several times by plague and internal disputes among friars. In 1686 the church burned because of negligence, and was restored by the friars and the French ambassador. In this occasion the Mufti of Istanbul donated the pillars still standing at the top of the staircase, and approved the reconstruction project with a lead roof cover and vaults, elements allowed only for mosques. In 1696 the church burned again but was restored one year later by the association of the Merchants of Marseilles. In this period St. Benoit became the most prestigious church of Galata, being used as a burial place by the upper class of the quarter and by several aristocrats and French ambassadors. Moreover, Saint Benoit was also used as national church of the German in Istanbul. During these years an hospital was added to the complex. The seventeenth-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi describes the shrine as a "French church with an Organ". In 1731 the edifice burned again during another quarter fire, but was restored in 1732 by the French Ambassador.

After the Suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, in 1783 French Lazarists friars took over the complex. At the end of the eighteenth century a chapel dedicated to St. Anne was built. After problems during the French Revolution, in 1804 the friars restored the church, and transformed the existing school into the "Lycée Saint Benoît d'Istanbul" (Turkish: Özel Saint-Benoît Fransız Lisesi) which exists still today and is one of the most prestigious private schools in Istanbul.

In 1839, nuns belonging to the Soeurs de la Charité (Daughters of Charity) society came from France and founded the female section of the school. In 1840 the school was moved to Bebek, but after the demolition of part of the Genoese ramparts of Galata, the school moved back here. In 1865 part of the left aisle and the atrium with several inscriptions burned. This part of the church was coarsely restored in 1871. In 1867 the complex was enlarged with the erection of the "Maison de la providence" complex, comprising, among others, an orphanage, an hospital and a seminary.

The church was never one of the Roman Catholic Parishes of the Frankish quarter of Istanbul, but is the oldest Catholic church in Istanbul still in use.

Saint George Church

Saint George of Samatya or Surp Kevork is an Armenian church in Istanbul. The edifice, built between 1866 and 1887, has been erected above the substructure of a Byzantine church and monastery built in the eleventh century. The complex, dedicated to St. Mary Peribleptos was one of the most important Greek Orthodox monasteries in Constantinople. After the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453 it was ceded to the Armenian community in Istanbul, and became for a period the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The church is located in Istanbul, in the district of Fatih, in the neighbourhood of Kocamustafapaşa (historically Samatya), at Marmara Caddesi 79. It lies inside the walled city, at a short distance from the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The building is protected by a high wall, and surrounded by other edifices.

In the fifth century on this place stood the church of Hagios Stephanos en tais Aurelianai. This church was located near the Helenianai Palace and the monastery of St. Dalmatios, close to an abundant water source (Greek: Hagiasma). From this source, still existing, originates the Turkish name of the complex ("Water Monastery").

Not far from these buildings and from the sea walls, on a small plateau on the southern slope of the seventh hill of Constantinople, in the Xerolophos quartier, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros (r. 1028–1034) founded a large monastery dedicated to the Theotokos Peribleptos after his unlucky expedition to Syria. The appellation, meaning "conspicuous", "easy to see", originates from its dominating and isolated position. The Emperor spent a great deal of money to erect the building, and was harshly criticized for that. Romanos was buried here in 1034. Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates (r. 1078–1081) repaired the complex in 1080. After his deposition, Nikephoros was obliged by his successor, Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) to become a monk here, and was buried in the church as well.

In the 11th-12th centuries, it was usual for the court to come to the Peribleptos each year to celebrate the candlemas. After the Latin sack of 1204, the church remained for a short time under Greek control, but was later given to Venetian Benedictine monks. After the end of the Latin Empire, Michael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1261–1282) restored the church and added in the refectory a mosaic representing himself with his wife Theodora and their son Constantine. This mosaic was destroyed in the great fire of Samatya in 1782.

At the end of the thirteenth century a young monk of the monastery, Hylarion, sent to Elegmoi in Bythinia to look after the possessions of the monastery, found the region ravaged by the Turks. He successfully organised the population against the raiders and after confronting them made the area safe again, but that caused a great scandal in Constantinople, since monks were not allowed to fight. After he was forced to go back to the capital, the Turkish pillaging started again, until the inhabitants of Elegmoi sent a petition to Constantinople asking for his return. At the end the Hegumen of the monastery was forced to give his consent.

The building was damaged in 1402 by fire and lighting. In 1422, Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (r. 1391–1425) lived in this monastery during an epidemic and the siege of the city by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.

Ottoman period

Immediately after the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church continued to belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. According to Müller-Wiener, between 1461 and 1480 (the resettling of Armenians in Samatya occurred in 1458/862 AH), Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1444–46, 1451–81) ceded the church to the Armenian community, and until 1643/44 the complex was the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Other sources report that the building was given to the Armenians in 1643 because of the intercession of an Armenian woman, named Şivekâr, who was a favourite of Sultan Ibrahim I (r. 1640–1648). During this period several churches were built here. By the middle of the seventeenth century the only Byzantine building still visible was the refectory

In 1722 the complex was renovated by the Armenian architect Meldon, but in 1782 everything was destroyed by the great fire of Samatya. The reconstruction took place in 1804.

Between 1866 and 1887 (after another fire in 1877), the church was rebuilt as endowment of Michael Hagopian, and only the foundations of the Byzantine church and remains of the source building were kept in place. Moreover, two large schools were built near the church.

Church of St. George

The Church of St. George is the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral still in use in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and (as Constantinople), the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453. Since about 1600, it has been the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the senior patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church and recognised as the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians.

The church, dedicated to the Christian martyr Saint George, is the site of numerous important services and is where the patriarch will consecrate the chrism (myron) on Holy and Great Thursday, when needed. For this reason, the church is also known as the "Patriarchal Church of the Great Myrrh". At one time, the patriarch would consecrate all of the chrism used throughout the entire Orthodox Church. However, now most of the heads of the autocephalous churches sanctify their own myrrh.

The church is located in the Fener (more traditionally Phanar) (fener means Lighthouse in Turkish but possibly name comes from fenar-meaning Greek in ancient Ottoman language) district of Istanbul, north-west of the historic centre of old Constantinople. (Its address is Fener Rum Patrikhanesi, Sadrazam Ali Pasa Cadesi, Fener 34220, Istanbul.) It is a relatively small church, particularly given its status in world Christianity, this however can be explained by the Islamic laws which govern the rights of Dhimmis which stipulate that all non-Islamic buildings must be smaller and humbler than corresponding Islamic buildings.

The church is open to the public from 8.30am to 4pm, but strict security screening is in place. It is visited by a stream of pilgrims from Greece and other Orthodox countries. Behind the church are the offices of the Patriarchate and the Patriarchate Library. The Church, which was part of a convent or monastery before becoming the seat of the Patriarch, is outwardly unimpressive, but its interior is lavishly decorated in the style much loved by Orthodox Christians.

Patriarch Matthew II (1596-1603) moved the Patriarchate to the former convent of St George in the Phanar in about 1600. The city had been in the hands of the Ottoman Turks since 1453. The Phanar district became the recognised centre of Greek Christian life in the city.

The church has been reconstructed many times and little remains of its original structure. Patriarch Timothy II (1612-1620) rebuilt and enlarged the church in 1614. It was again reconstructed under Patriarch Callinicus II the Acarnan (1694-1702). In the early 18th century (sources vary on the exact date) the church was badly damaged by fire. In 1720 Patriarch Jeremias III (1716-1726, 1732-1733), wrote to Neophytos, Metropolitan of Arta: "By the mercy and will of the All-Good God, the lords, may God grant them long life, were moved and they gave us permission to rebuild from the very foundations the holy church of our Patriarchal and Ecumenical Throne, and so we have started this building with the help of God."The restoration works of Jeremias III were continued by Patriarch Paisius II (Patriarch several times between 1726 and 1752).

Since the fall of the Ottomans and the rise of modern Turkish nationalism most of the Greek Orthodox population of Istanbul has emigrated, leaving the Patriarch in the anomalous position of a leader without a flock, at least locally. Today the Church of St George serves mainly as the symbolic centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and as a centre of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians. The church is financially supported by donations from Orthodox communities in other countries.

On 3 December 1997, a bomb attack seriously injured a deacon and damaged the Patriarchal Cathedral. This was one of the many terrorist attacks against the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its churches and cemeteries in Istanbul in recent years.The efforts to bring the terrorists to justice are continuing.

There was another great fire in 1738, when the church again suffered severe damage. It was not until 1797 that Patriarch Gregory V was able to begin large-scale restoration work. The current state of the church largely dates from this rebuilding. The church has the plan of a three-aisled basilica with three semicircular apses on the east side and a transverse narthex on the west. The interior is divided into three aisles by colonnades, with the tall pews of ebony wood placed along the line of the columns. This arrangement leaves ample space in the nave for the performance of the liturgy. In the holy bema, behind the altar, the synthronon (cathedra) is arranged in a semicircle along the curved wall of the apse, with seats for the Archpriests and a central higher throne of marble for the Patriarch.

Further changes were made to the church under Patriarch Gregory VI (1835-1840), when the roof was raised to its present height. From this restoration dates the neo-Classical marble doorway with the ornamental door-frames, which makes the front exterior of the church look rather unlike most other Orthodox churches, which are usually designed in the Byzantine style. The last major rebuilding was carried out by the Patriarch Joachim III (1878-1912). The marble pavement of the sanctuary was replaced, the synthronon was renovated, marble caskets were made for the depositing of the relics, the icon-frames were repaired and the ecclesiastical collection was enriched with liturgical vessels and vestments, all donated by Orthodox Christians, mostly from outside the Ottoman Empire.

The church was again damaged by a fire in 1941 and for political reasons it was not fully restored until 1991. Its most precious objects, saved from each successive fire, are the patriarchal throne, which is believed to date from the 5th century, some rare mosaic icons and relics of Saints Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Some of the bones of these two saints, which were looted from Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, were returned to the Church of St George by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

Monastery of the Transfiguration, Kinaliada

There was another great fire in 1738, when the church again suffered severe damage. It was not until 1797 that Patriarch Gregory V was able to begin large-scale restoration work. The current state of the church largely dates from this rebuilding. The church has the plan of a three-aisled basilica with three semicircular apses on the east side and a transverse narthex on the west. The interior is divided into three aisles by colonnades, with the tall pews of ebony wood placed along the line of the columns. This arrangement leaves ample space in the nave for the performance of the liturgy. In the holy bema, behind the altar, the synthronon (cathedra) is arranged in a semicircle along the curved wall of the apse, with seats for the Archpriests and a central higher throne of marble for the Patriarch.

Further changes were made to the church under Patriarch Gregory VI (1835-1840), when the roof was raised to its present height. From this restoration dates the neo-Classical marble doorway with the ornamental door-frames, which makes the front exterior of the church look rather unlike most other Orthodox churches, which are usually designed in the Byzantine style. The last major rebuilding was carried out by the Patriarch Joachim III (1878-1912). The marble pavement of the sanctuary was replaced, the synthronon was renovated, marble caskets were made for the depositing of the relics, the icon-frames were repaired and the ecclesiastical collection was enriched with liturgical vessels and vestments, all donated by Orthodox Christians, mostly from outside the Ottoman Empire.

The church was again damaged by a fire in 1941 and for political reasons it was not fully restored until 1991. Its most precious objects, saved from each successive fire, are the patriarchal throne, which is believed to date from the 5th century, some rare mosaic icons and relics of Saints Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Some of the bones of these two saints, which were looted from Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, were returned to the Church of St George by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

Since the fall of the Ottomans and the rise of modern Turkish nationalism most of the Greek Orthodox population of Istanbul has emigrated, leaving the Patriarch in the anomalous position of a leader without a flock, at least locally. Today the Church of St George serves mainly as the symbolic centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and as a centre of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians. The church is financially supported by donations from Orthodox communities in other countries.

On 3 December 1997, a bomb attack seriously injured a deacon and damaged the Patriarchal Cathedral.[4] This was one of the many terrorist attacks against the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its churches and cemeteries in Istanbul in recent years.The efforts to bring the terrorists to justice are continuing.

Monastery of the Transfiguration, Kinaliada

The Monastery of the Transfiguration, known locally as Hristo [Christ] Monastery, is a prominent Greek Orthodox monastery that has served the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) since the time of the Byzantine Empire. The monastery is located on the island of Kinaliada, one of the Princes Islands in the Marmara Sea. It is situated on one of the highest peaks on the island called Hristo Peak (93 meters), which is named after the Monastery. The Monastery is especially known as a destination for exiled Byzantine Emperors in the 11th century.

History

It is believed that the Byzantine Emperor Leo V the Armenian was the first buried in what would later be the Monastery after his exile to the Princes Islands.

However, it is widely considered that the Monastery was built for the exiled Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (r. 1068–1071) some centuries later. After his defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantine Emperor had his eyes gouged out and sent to exile on the island of Proti (now Kinaliada) where he spent his time in exile at the Monastery. The island of Proti was among the small island group located in the Marmara Sea near Constantinople. These islands would eventually be known as the Princes Islands because of the many Byzantine princes exiled there. Romanos IV Diogenes spent the rest of his life on the island, dying from his wounds. It is believed that his body is buried not too far from the current Armenian orphanage on the island. Not long after Romanos, Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates (r. 1078–1081), was also exiled to the Monastery after he was forced to abdicate his throne.

The Monastery has been repeatedly demolished and rebuilt. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the Monastery fell into a ruinous state. In 1722, the Monastery underwent a major reconstruction by a group of wealthy Greek merchants from the island of Chios, who were based in Constantinople. The restoration included the construction of a new katholikon and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Paraskevi[disambiguation needed] above the original Byzantine monastery. The Byzantine icons of the original monastery were transferred to the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople for preservation.

In July of 1998, Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, expressed his concerns regarding the deprivation of land belonging to the Monastery. The Turkish authorities have claimed that the Monastery, which serves as a camping ground and a summer vacationing house for children, is only entitled to the building itself.

CEMENTERIES

Haydarpaşa Cemetery, also known as Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Istanbul (Turkish: Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı), located in the Haydarpaşa neighborhood of Üsküdar district in the Asian part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a burial ground established initially for British military personnel, who took part in the Crimean War (1854-1856). The cemetery holds also graves of Commonwealth soldiers from the two World Wars, and civilians of British nationality

Feriköy Protestant Cemetery (Turkish: Feriköy Protestan Mezarlığı) officially called Evangelicorum Commune Coemeterium is a Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. As the name of the cemetery indicates, it is the final resting place of Protestants residing in Istanbul. The cemetery is at Feriköy neighborhood in Şişli district of Istanbul, nearly 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Taksim Square.

The land for this cemetery was donated in 1857 by the Ottoman government to the leading Protestant powers of that time, the United Kingdom, Prussia, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Hanseatic League.

In Istanbul, all members of the Reformed Churches belong to the Protestant Cemetery in Feriköy. Burial sites are being distributed by the Consulate General. Since its opening, a total of roughly 5,000 individuals have been interred at the site. Resembling a museum of funerary art, the cemetery contains examples of different styles of monuments and memorials from the 17th century to the present.The stones proper up along the walls are one of the last tangible links to the old Frankish burial ground in the Grand Champs des Morts, Pera's 'Great Field of the Dead' which was lost in the wake of urban expansion during the 19th century. The consuls general of Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary and Switzerland have the duty of managing the cemetery. They exchange the task of management biennially.

Pangaltı Roman Catholic Cemetery (Turkish: Pangaltı Fransız Latin Katolik Mezarlığı), also known as Feriköy Latin Catholic Cemetery, is a historic Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest Catholic cemetery in Istanbul. The cemetery is at Feriköy neighborhood in Şişli district of Istanbul, nearly 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Taksim Square. The main Protestant burial ground of the city; Feriköy Protestant Cemetery, Istanbul lies just across the Catholic cemetery. Two neighboring cemeteries are divided by a road; Abide-i Hürriyet avenue.

The Şişli Armenian Cemetery is an Armenian cemetery in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey which is operated and served to the Armenian community of Turkey.

Şişli Greek Orthodox Cemetery (Turkish: Şişli Rum Ortodoks Mezarlığı), also known as Şişli Eastern Orthodox Cemetery, is a Christian cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey. The burial ground is the final resting place of people professing the Orthodox faith in Istanbul. The cemetery is located in Şişli district of Istanbul just across the Cevahir Mall.

The Pangaltı Armenian Cemetery was located in the Pangaltı quarter of Istanbul near Taksim Square and originally belonged to the Surp Agop Armenian Hospital. In the 1930s it was demolished and was replaced with the Taksim Gezi Park, Divan Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the TRT Radio Buildings.