Historical Churches of Istanbul
Istanbul is a city of different religions side by side for many centuries. Being in the middle of the crossroads between Europe and Asia, many civilizations passed through this piece of land leaving a lot of remains behind. Today you can see the temples of three main religions on the side of each other; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Being declared the capital city of the Roman Empire in 4 the century by Constantine the Great, Istanbul also became the headquarters of Christianity. As the same emperor declared Christianity as an officially recognized religion, lots of churches opened in the city and started functioning as places of worship. Since the majority of Ottomans were Muslims, and the population started to increase, some of the churches were converted to mosques. Another development in the 15th century was the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. Following this event, the Ottoman Sultan invited them to settle in his lands, assuring them that they could live in Istanbul and practice their religion freely. As a result, a lot of Jews in 15 the century to come to the city of Istanbul.
As a result, three religions started to live together side by side starting in the 15 century. Every group had its regions in the city where they could have temples, schools, and whatever they may need as a part of their social life. They could even have their courthouses. If two people following the same religion would have a dispute, they would go to their courthouse. Only in case of a dispute between people having different religions is a problem, Muslim courts would be the place to go as an independent courthouse.
You can see the list of important churches in Istanbul below:
Mary of the Mongols Church (Maria Muhliotissa)
The only church from the Roman Era that is still functioning as a church is the Mary of the Mongols Church in the Fener area of Istanbul. In the Turkish language called Bloody Church (Kanli Kilise). The church has an interesting story. The daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII, Maria Despina Palaiologina was sent to marry Hulagu Khan, who was the Mongol ruler of the Ilkhanate. However, Hulagu Khan dies before she arrived. After that, she married his son Abaqa Khan and became a Mongol queen.
This was the Mary of the Mongols Church. After the conquest of Istanbul, with special permission given to this church, Mary of the Mongols was never converted to a mosque and continued as a church continuously from the 13th century to today.
Visit Information: The church is open everyday except on Sundays between 08.30-16.00.
How to get Maria Muhliotissa Church (Bloody Church)
From Sultanahmet to Maria Muhliotissa Church (Bloody Church): Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Eminonu station and change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk around 5-10 minutes.
From Taksim to Maria Muhliotissa Church (Bloody Church): Take the M1 metro from Taksim station to Halic station, change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk for around 5-10 minutes.
St. George Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate (Aya Georgios)(Aya Georgios)
Istanbul is the center of Orthodox Christendom for centuries. That’s why there is a church bearing the title of Patriarchal Church. Patriarch is the equivalent of the Pope in Orthodox Christianity and the seat of His All Holiness, which is the official title, is Istanbul. In the course of history, there were several patriarchal churches and the seat of the throne changed several times over time. The first and most famous patriarchal church was the Hagia Sophia. After Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, the patriarchal church was moved to Holy Apostles Church (Havariyun Monastery). But the Holy Apostles Church was destroyed for constructing Fatih Mosque and the patriarchal church needed to move one more time to Pammakaristos Church. Then, Pammakaristos Church was converted to a mosque and the patriarchal church moved several times to different churches in the Fener area. Finally, in the 17th century, St. George became the patriarchal church and the church still bears the same title. Today all over the world more than 300 million Orthodox Christians are following the church as their central church.
How to get to Saint George's Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate (Aya Georgios)
From Sultanahmet to Saint George's Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate (Aya Georgios): Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Eminonu station and change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk around 5-10 minutes.
From Taksim to Saint George's Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate (Aya Georgios): Take the M1 metro from Taksim station to Halic station, change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk for around 5-10 minutes.
St. Steven Church (Sveti Stefan / Metal Church)
St. Steven Church is the oldest Bulgarian church in the city of Istanbul. Following the Orthodoxy doctrine of Christianity, Bulgarians had their sermons in the patriarchal church for many centuries. The only little problem was the language. Bulgarians never understood the sermon because the sermon was in Greek. For this reason, they wanted to separate their church by having prayers in their language. With the permission of the Sultan, they built their church all out of metal over wooden bases. The metal pieces were made in Vienna and brought to Istanbul via the Danube River. Opened in the year 1898, the church is still in good condition, especially after the final renovations in the year 2018.
Visit Information: It is open everyday between 08.00-16.00.
How to get to St. Steven Church (Sveti Stefan / Metal Church)
From Sultanahmet to St. Steven Church (Sveti Stefan / Metal Church): Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Eminonu station and change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk around 5-10 minutes.
From Taksim to St. Steven Church (Sveti Stefan / Metal Church): Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Eminonu station and change to the bus (bus numbers: 99A, 99, 399c), get off Balat station, and walk around 5-10 minutes.
Holy Trinity Church (Aya Triada Church) in Taksim
Located in the heart of the new city of Taksim, Holy Trinity Church is one of the Greek Orthodox churches in the city of Istanbul in the best condition. The church is well kept especially because of its location. The majority of the restaurants and shops on the outer side of the church are owned by the church. This gives the church a good deal of income to be able to make renovations with their funding. The majority of the churches in the city suffer economically because there is not a big Orthodox community left in Istanbul. This church though finances the needs itself plus several other churches in the city.
Visit Information: It is open everyday between 09.00-18.00.
How to get Holy Trinity Church (Aya Triada Church)
From Sultanahmet to Holy Trinity Church (Aya Triada Church): Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Kabatas station, change to the F1 funicular to Taksim station, and walk around 3 minutes.
St. Anthony of Padua Church
Located on Istiklal Street, St. Anthony is the second-biggest Latin Catholic church in Istanbul. The architect of the building is the same architect building the Republic Monument in Taksim Square, Giulio Mongeri. The church also has several buildings surrounding itself functioning as accommodation areas for the people responsible in the church and stores that bring income for the church from the rents. With its style Neo-Gothic, the church is one of the musts on Istiklal Street.
Visit Information: It is open everyday between 08.00-19.00.
From Sultanahmet to St. Anthony of Padua Church: Take the T1 tram from Sultanahmet station to Kabatas station, change to the F1 funicular to Taksim station, and walk for around 10 minutes.
The Final Word
Istanbul is considered one of those cities which are the capital of culture and arts. There are many churches in Istanbul with a different histories. Do visit historical churches in Istanbul; you will be amazed by their past and stories.