Christian churches in Istanbul Turkey (+History)

24.July.2022

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Talking about Christianity in a country with less than one percent Christian population is both hard and fascinating. Of course, this percentage has not always been like this and if you look carefully, you will see many Christian churches in Istanbul that are either still active or converted into museums or mosques.

In this article, we will go deeper into the history to find Christianity traces in Turkey, and then we will introduce the most popular Christian churches in Istanbul that you shouldn’t miss while visiting this lovely city.

Christianity history in Turkey

If you entered Turkey in 1914, you would see that almost 25 percent of the population were Christians. Then again, if you left and came back 12 years later, you would see about 5 percent Christian population in 1927. But today, there is only 0.3 percent of the society due to the eventful past such as the first world war, genocides, population exchange, etc.

Let’s take a detour to Constantinople, the former Istanbul to better understand the situation.

The place where Christianity began in Turkey

The founder of Constantinople (Istanbul) in the 4^th century, the Great Constantine, was the first Roman king who became Christian. If you are now enjoying your visit to Hagia Sophia, it is because Justinian the Great, wanted a place that could run for a thousand years as the world’s biggest church and he got it—fascinated yet?

Christianity in the Ottoman era

As we all know, Ottoman was an Islamic empire and Christian communities in Turkey sure had their ups and downs dealing with the new arrivers. There were some good times and terrible ones throughout history.

Constantinople, the Christian capital of the Romans, was captured by Sultan Mehmed in 1453. In the siege on the city, Christians who were unable to help in the war such as women and children used Hagia Sophia as a shelter, but when the Romans lost, Hagia Sophia faced major looting and the people in it, unfortunately, became spoils of war. The church then turned into a mosque the same year.

Further, in history, several Ottoman emperors let Christian communities live in peace. Two important churches, Saint Anthony of Padua Church and Saint Stephen Bulgarian church, were built during the Ottoman era.

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How the Christian population of Turkey declined from the first world war up until today?

It is estimated that approximately 3 million Christians died in the first world war. Later, Turkey faced its war of independence and defeated the Greeks who occupied Izmir (Smyrna) as a result, the Lausanne peace treaty was signed in 1923 which not only accredited the Republic of Turkey but also under its terms, 1.3 million Christians who lived in Turkey moved to Greece and 400,000 Muslims in Greece moved to Turkey.

It is reported that the Christian population in Turkey declined from 20 percent in 1914 to 0.2 percent of the whole population in 2014. On the other hand, Istanbul holds the largest Christian community in the country, including Armenians and Greek orthodox, so it is not surprising to find many Christian churches in Istanbul.

Categories of Christian churches in Istanbul Turkey

To explore deeper into Christianity, you need to know that it has different rites therefore all the churches are not the same. Some of them are Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. Also, as Christians in Turkey are from different roots, there are Greek churches, Armenian churches, Anglican churches, and even Georgian churches.

Catholic Christian churches in Istanbul

There are around 35 active churches in Istanbul which are mostly for the Catholic community. Below you will find a list of the most popular Catholic Christian churches in Istanbul:

Saint Anthony of Padua

Located on Istiklal street, this church is the busiest Roman catholic church in Istanbul. Many people believe that it was constructed in 1912 but it goes much longer back to 1725 when the Italian locals built the original church. Another interesting fact about this Christian church in Istanbul is that pope John who was later the pop at the Vatican preached in this church for about 10 years.

Virgin Mary Assyrian church

Located in Taksim, built in 1960 and is the only church belonging to Assyrians in Istanbul. Not only it’s a church, but it also has other parts such as a school and offices.

Crimean memorial church (Anglican church)

An Anglo-Catholic church with many different names such as an Anglican church of Christ church. The name comes from the fact that this church is dedicated as a memorial to the soldiers from Britain who took part in the Crimean war.

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Its land was a dedication by Sultan Abdulmecit in 1839 to welcome communities with different religions than Islam. A British architect named G.E. Street designed the building and it was completed in 1868. You can still enjoy visiting this church in the Taksim district.

Saint Espirit’s Cathedral (Cathedral of the Holy Spirit)

The second most popular Roman church in Istanbul was constructed in 1846 by Italian-Swedish architects. Many popes visited this church over the years and the European choir of Istanbul performs there seasonally.

Santa Maria Draperies Catholic church

Istanbul’s most ancient Roman Catholic church was built in 1584. The name Draperies comes from the fact that the Draperies family dedicated an icon of the Virgin Mary to this church the same year, which was the only item that was made through a fire that destroyed the whole building.

Another interesting fact about this Christian church in Istanbul is that in the Ottoman era building a church was not fully welcomed in Turkey, Sultan Abdulhamid 2^nd permitted its construction and therefore there is now a plaque in his name there to show the Christian community’s appreciation for what he did.

Saint Trinity Armenian Catholic Church

The first church was built by Armenian Catholics on this site in 1600. As it was made out of wood, a dramatic fire burned down the place which was later replaced by a stone-made church in the 1700s.

Orthodox Christian churches in Istanbul

Among the churches in Istanbul, you can find many belonging to an Orthodox rite some of which are mentioned below:

Saint Stephen’s Bulgarian church

Built in 1898 and belonging to the Bulgarian minority. Its exterior is grey and makes people wonder if it is made of stone, but the fact is that many iron frames were used to build this church. The reason was the land on which this church stand is soft so concrete which is the first choice to build any building was not an option.

Another interesting thing about this church is that many of the materials used to construct it was transported by the sea from Vienna which was a very astonishing thing to do back then,

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate (Saint George’s Fener Greek Orthodox patriarchy church)

A place called many other names such as Saint George Fener church or Aya Yorgi in Fener district in Istanbul. It was built in 1751 with humble architecture. The amusing thing that attracts visitors to this church is the valuable collection of ancient objects such as mosaics and frescos and even a 5th-century century throne. The building experienced a fire in 1941 and was renovated in 1991.

Saint Triada church

If you go to Taksim square, you will see Hagia Triada’s beautiful dome and spires. Its ceiling is full of lovely frescos and inside you will find marble everywhere. The building belongs to 1880 and is still active as the largest Greek Orthodox church in the Beyoglu district.

Two famous Christian churches in Istanbul that are now functioning as a museum

As you might already know, the Islamic Ottoman empire converted many churches into mosques and later many others were converted into museums. But two of them which are located in Istanbul are the most popular ones and must be visited while staying in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia

Built in 537 AD as a Christian cathedral and as mentioned earlier, it was the largest cathedral for over a thousand years. In 1453, Sultan Mehmet turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque this function lasted for over 500 years. Then in 1934, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk turned the place into a museum that is standing still.

Mesmerizing Byzantine architecture, multicolored marbles used in the interior, and of course its magnificent dome, made this former Christian church in Istanbul a tourist attraction known worldwide.

The church of Saint Savior (Chora Church)

This ancient Christian church in Istanbul follows the same path as Hagia Sophia. Its name “Chora” means both “rural area” and “outside the walls” and stems from the fact that this church was built as a section added to a monastery located outside Istanbul (Constantinople) walls.

Up until 1511, Chora functioned as a church, then it turned into a mosque which lasted until 1945. Since then, it is working as a museum presenting historical frescos and art crafts.

How to end this Christian church sightseeing?

If you ask me, you can’t end it. There are still many other Christian churches in Istanbul that not only you cannot cover in only one article, but also reading about them doesn’t even describe the glory you will find while visiting these magnificent works of art. So, whether you are curious about Christianity or not, there are many things for you to explore in each church.

Hope to see you in any of them soon!

Christian churches in Istanbul Turkey (+History)

Christianity history in Turkey