Christianity in Turkey

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Turkish Christians
Türk Hristiyanlar
Asia Minor
, c. 1880

Christianity in Turkey has a long history dating back to the

Assyrian genocide,[14] the population exchange between Greece and Turkey,[8][15] the emigration of Christians that began in the late 19th century and gained pace in the first quarter of the 20th century,[8][16] and due to events such as the 1942 Varlık Vergisi tax levied on non-Muslim citizens in Turkey and the 1955 Istanbul pogrom against Greek and Armenian Christians.[8] Exact numbers are difficult to estimate as many former Muslim converts to Christianity often hide their Christian faith for fear of familial pressure, religious discrimination, and persecution.[17]

This was due to events which had a significant impact on the country's demographic structure, such as the

Assyrians perpetrated by Turkish Muslims,[11] and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey,[18] and the emigration of Christians (such as Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, etc.) to foreign countries (mostly in Europe and the Americas) that actually began in the late 19th century and gained pace in the first quarter of the 20th century, especially during World War I.[19][9]

Signed after the WW1, the Treaty of Lausanne explicitly guarantees the security and protection of both Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christian minorities. Their religious institutions are being recognized officially by the state.[20][21]

In 2011, there were more than 200,000-320,000 people of different

ethnic minorities).[30] Ethnically Turkish Protestants number around 7,000–8,000.[31][32] In 2009, there were 236 Christian churches open for worship in Turkey.[33] The Eastern Orthodox Church has been headquartered in Constantinople since the 4th century AD.[34][35][30]

In 2022, Christians were seen as being 0.2% of the population. This was mainly Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Armenian Catholics and Chaldean Christians, as well as smaller groups. It was noted that the number of Eastern Orthodox Christians had risen sharply, mainly due to refugees from Russia and Ukraine.[36]

In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom; this was mainly due to disputes over land.

Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox church, set to open on 8 October 2023, is the first church built since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey.[38]

Historical background

Early Christianity

Fresco of Christ Pantocrator on the ceiling of Karanlık Kilise (The Dark Church), Churches of Göreme. The Roman province of Cappadocia was renowned for its cave churches.
Asia Minor. The early Christian community of Ephesus was one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation
.
Philip the Apostle lived and was buried in Hierapolis, Turkey
convert to Christianity
.
Eastern Roman Empire
; it was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time.

The

Book of Acts.[40]

The

Gregory of Nazianzos, later texts about Nicholas of Sion and Theodore of Sykeon described miracles and rural life.[41]

The historical

miaphysite Christians sought to reunite with Rome in later centuries, but their efforts were unsuccessful.[40]

Golden Gate of the Land Walls, and opulent aristocratic palaces. The University of Constantinople was founded in the fifth century and contained artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204 and 1453,[46] including its vast Imperial Library which contained the remnants of the Library of Alexandria and had 100,000 volumes.[47] The city was the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and guardian of Christendom's holiest relics such as the Crown of thorns and the True Cross. During most of its existence, the Byzantine Empire was one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe.[48] The imperial role in the affairs of the Church never developed into a fixed, legally defined system.[49] Additionally, due to the decline of Rome and internal dissension in the other Eastern Patriarchates, the Church of Constantinople became, between the 6th and 11th centuries, the richest and most influential centre of Christendom.[50]

The Eastern Orthodox Church split from Rome during the

Two out of the five centers (

largest church in the world
.

Turkey is also home to the

Virgin Mary to Ephesus in western Turkey, where she spent the last days of her life in a small house, known as the House of the Virgin Mary, which still survives today and has been recognized as a holy site for pilgrimage by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as being a Muslim shrine. The cave of the Seven Sleepers
is also located in Ephesus.

The death of the

Ottoman Empire

Church of St. Anthony of Padua, Istanbul built in Istanbul during Ottoman Empire.
Bulgarian St. Stephen Church built in Istanbul during Ottoman Empire.

In accordance with the traditional custom of the time, the

Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in the 4th century AD, shortly after it was captured in 1453. Once the three days passed, he would then claim its remaining contents for himself.[52][53] However, by the end of the first day, he proclaimed that the looting should cease as he felt profound sadness when he toured the looted and enslaved city.[54][52] The cathedral of Hagia Sophia was not exempted from the pillage and looting and specifically became its focal point, as the Ottoman Turks believed it to contain the greatest treasures and valuables of the city.[55] Shortly after the defence of the Walls of Constantinople, the city collapsed and the Ottoman troops entered victoriously; the pillagers and looters made their way to the Hagia Sophia and battered down its doors before storming in.[56]

Throughout the period of the

siege of Constantinople, the trapped Christian worshippers of the city participated in the Divine Liturgy and the Prayer of the Hours at the Hagia Sophia and the church formed a safe-haven and a refuge for many of those who were unable to contribute to the city's defence, which comprised women, children, elderly, the sick, and the wounded.[57][58] Being trapped in the church, the many congregants and yet more refugees inside became spoils-of-war to be divided amongst the Ottoman invaders. The building was desecrated and looted, with the helpless occupants who sought shelter within the church being enslaved.[55] While most of the elderly, the infirm/wounded, and sick were killed, and the remainder (mainly teenage males and young boys) were chained up and sold into slavery.[56]

The women of Constantinople also suffered from rape and sexual violence at the hands of Ottoman forces.[59] According to historian Barbaro, "all through the day the Turks made a great slaughter of Christians through the city". According to historian Philip Mansel, widespread persecution of the city's civilian inhabitants took place, resulting in thousands of murders and rapes, and 30,000 civilians being enslaved or forcibly deported.[60][61][62][63] George Sphrantzes says that people of both sexes were raped inside the church of Hagia Sophia.

Letter of Suleiman the Magnificent to Francis I of France regarding the protection of Christians in his states. September 1528. Archives Nationales, Paris, France.

The first

French law, and the consuls may appeal to the officers of the sultan for their aid in the execution of their sentences.[64] This, the first of the capitulations, can be seen as the prototype of its successors.[64]

Lutheran missionaries arrived in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.[40] During the same period, there were nationalistic campaigns against Assyrians which often had the assistance of Kurdish paramilitary support. In 1915, Turks and Kurds massacred tens of thousands Assyrians in Siirt. Assyrians were attacked in the Hakkari mountains by the Turkish army with the help of Kurdish tribes, and many Christians were deported and about a quarter million Assyrians were murdered or died due to persecution. This number doubles if the killings during the 1890s are included.[65] Kurds saw the Assyrians as dangerous foreigners and enforcers of the British colonizers, which made it justifiable to them to commit ethnic cleansing. The Kurds fought the Assyrians also due to fears that the Armenians, or European colonial powers backing them, would assume control in Anatolia.[66] Kurdish military plundered Armenian and other Christian villages.[66]

In the 1890s the

First World War

Henry Morgenthau, Sr. wrote, "Scenes like this were common all over the Armenian provinces, in the spring and summer months of 1915. Death in its several forms—massacre, starvation, exhaustion—destroyed the larger part of the refugees. The Turkish policy was that of extermination under the guise of deportation".[71]
Assyrian genocides were perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.[11]

During the tumultuous period of the

First World War, up to 3 million indigenous Christians are alleged to have been killed. Prior to this time, the Christian population stood at around 20% -25% of the total. According to professor Martin van Bruinessen, relations between Christians and Kurdish and other Muslim peoples were often bitter and during World War I "Christians of Tur Abdin (in Turkey) for instance have been subjected to brutal treatment by Kurdish tribes, who took their land and even their daughters".[72]

Kurdish-dominated Hamidiye slaughtered Christian Armenians in Tur Abdin region in 1915.

Haftvan 750 men were beheaded and 5,000 Assyrian women were taken to Kurdish harems.[73] Turks and Kurds also slaughtered Christians in Diarbekir. There was a policy during the Hamidian era to use Kurdish tribes as irregulars (Hamidiye units) against the Armenians.[73][74][75][76]

Treaty of Lausanne

The Greek forces who

Bozcaada numbering 270,000 were exempted. Other terms of the treaty included various provisions to protect the rights of religious minorities and a concession by the Turks to allow the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to remain in Istanbul.[77]

Republic of Türkiye (1923–present)

St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul is the epicenter of Eastern Orthodox Church and Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople home to the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.

The BBC reported in 2014 that Turkey's Christian population had declined from 20% to 0.2% since 1914.[78]

The

property rights of non-Muslims.[79]

In the pre-war period American missionaries had been actively involved in the Ottoman education system. Many of the schools were closed down and suffered under stringent regulations and burdensome taxes during the country's secularization. Historically, these schools had worked with the Ottoman Empire's Christian communities, and were regarded with suspicion by the fledgling state.[80]

In 2001, Turkey's

Alevi population has been a concern since the era of Committee of Union and Progress rule.[81][82] In 2016 the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey released a report warning of an increase in anti-Christian hate speech.[83]

Turkey's Christian community has been largely non-disruptive, with the notable exception of one convert, who hijacked Turkish Airlines Flight 1476 with the stated intent of flying it to the Vatican to meet the Pope and ask for his help to avoid serving in a "Muslim army".[84]

In 2013, the

Patriarch Bartholomew objected to the government's rhetoric, saying "If it is to reopen as a house of worship, then it should open as a Christian church."[85] Also in 2013, the government announced that the 5th-century Monastery of Stoudios, located in Istanbul's Samatya neighborhood, would be converted into a mosque. The monastery, one of Byzantium's most important, was sacked during the Crusades and later served as a mosque for a time, until it was converted to a museum during the 20th century.[86][87][88]

There is an ethnic Turkish Protestant Christian community in Turkey which number about 7,000–8,000[32][31] adherents most of them came from Muslim Turkish background.[89][90][91] In 2003, Milliyet newspaper claimed that 35,000 Turkish Muslims had converted to Christianity.[92]

Today the Christian population of Turkey is estimated at 200,000- 320,000 Christians.

Antiochian Greeks[95] and smaller numbers of Bulgarians, Georgians, and Protestants
of various ethnicities.

According to

In 2015, the Turkish government gave permission for the Christian channel SAT-7 to broadcast on the government-regulated

Türksat satellite.[97]

Since the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923, a number of high-profile incidents targeting non-Muslims, including Christians, have occurred. This includes the

Andrea Santoro, in 2006 and 2007. In January 2024, two gunmen fatally shot a man during a church service in Istanbul in an attack claimed by the Islamic State.[100]

Christian communities

St. John's Cathedral is dedicated to John the Evangelist, who in the Book of Revelation sent greetings and instructions to the Seven churches of Asia, including İzmir

By the 21st century, Turkey's Greek Orthodox population had declined to only around 2,000–3,000.[77] There are between 40,000 and 70,000 Christian Armenian citizens of Turkey.[39]

The largest Christian population in Turkey is in

Church of St Peter, which is said to have been founded by the Saint himself.[101]

Saffron Monastery
.

The Syriac Orthodox Church has a strong presence in Mardin. Many Assyrians left during the genocides in 1915.[103]

By some estimates, in the early 2000s there were between 10,000 and 20,000 Catholics and Protestants in Turkey.[104] Since 1960 a growing number of Muslims in Turkey are converting to Christianity, estimates range from 4,000 to 35,000 by various sources.[92][105][106][107]

Archbishop Martin Kmetec told Aid to the Church in Need, in an interview, that ecumenical relations are generally good in the country. "In general, our relations with other Christian churches are good. The

Bartholomew I, for example, has a good relationship with the Focolare Movement and the new Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul, Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro. Likewise, here in İzmir we get together with the Orthodox Christians, but also with the Anglicans, on various Christian feast days. Armenian priests recently celebrated an Armenian liturgy at our Catholic Church of St. Polycarp because they do not have their own church in İzmir. We also worked together with the Armenians in İzmir to open a small book shop for the Bible Society. These are promising signs of an ecumenical dialogue."[108]

Churches in Turkey

Armenian Apostolic Church

Vakifli
, Turkey

The

non-Chalcedonian" for this reason. The Bible was first translated into the Armenian language by Mesrop Mashtots.[109][104]

Turkey's Armenian Christian community is led by the Armenian Patriarchates of Istanbul and Jerusalem. As of 2008 estimates of Turkey's Armenian Orthodox population range from between 50,000 and 70,000.[104]

There are 35 churches maintained by the religious foundation in Istanbul and its surrounding areas. Besides Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church (translation: the Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Patriarchal Church) in Kumkapi, Istanbul, there are tens of Armenian Apostolic churches. There are other churches in

Vakifli Koyu
that are claimed by foundations as well. Around 1,000 Armenian churches throughout Turkey sit on public or privately owned land as well, with them all either being re-purposed or abandoned and/or in ruins.

  • Armenian Catholic Church - There are several Armenian Catholic churches in Istanbul, including a large cemetery. In Mardin one remains as a Museum and occasional religious center.
  • Armenian Evangelical Church - The Armenian Protestants have three churches in Istanbul from the 19th century.[110]

Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate

Official insignia of the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate
Virgin Mary) Orthodox Church of the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate in Galata
, Istanbul

The

Pavlos Karahisarithis, a supporter of the General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox (Turkish: Umum Anadolu Türk Ortodoksları Cemaatleri), in 1922.[111] Pavlos Karahisarithis became the Patriarch of this new Orthodox church, and took the name of Papa Eftim I. He was supported by 72 other Turkish Orthodox clerics.[112]

The start of the Patriarchate can be traced to the

Eastern Orthodox group, the General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox, was set up with the support from the Orthodox bishop of Havza, as well as a number of other congregations[113] representing a genuine movement among the Turkish-speaking, Orthodox Christian population of Anatolia[111] who wished to remain both Orthodox and Turkish.[114] There were calls to establish a new Patriarchate with Turkish as the preferred language of Christian worship.[115]

In 1924, Karahisarithis started to conduct the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was ethnically centered and favored the Greek population. Being excommunicated
by the Greek Orthodox Church for claiming to be a bishop while still having a wife and due to the fact that married bishops are not allowed in Orthodoxy, Karahisarithis, who later changed his name into Zeki Erenerol, called a Turkish ecclesial congress, which elected him Patriarch in 1924.

Greek Orthodox Church

Pammakaristos Church, also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos (Greek: Θεοτόκος ἡ Παμμακάριστος, "All-Blessed Mother of God"), is one of the most famous Greek Orthodox Byzantine churches in Istanbul
Chora Church medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church preserved as the Chora Museum in the Edirnekapı neighborhood of Istanbul
Kısıl Kilise ("Red Church") near Güzelyurt, Aksaray.

St. Andrew, Metrophanes and Alexander of Constantinople. Constantinople's primacy over the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch was reaffirmed at the Council of Chalcedon in 481, after which the papacy in Rome supported Constantinople in its dispute with Alexandria over monophysitism. Later, when Rome sought to assert its primacy over Byzantium, the Eastern Orthodox Church developed the doctrine of pentarchy as a response.[117]

During the 8th and 9th centuries, Byzantium was embroiled in the

Iconoclastic persecution.[118] The Photian schism was also 9th century power struggle for the Patriarchate between Ignatios, backed by Pope Nicholas I, and Photios I of Constantinople.[119][120]

The

sacraments (including marriage and baptism), ordination, funerals, blessings and other occasions.[122]
The three

Roman Catholic Church

The

Armenian Catholic Patriarchate was established in Constantinople.[123][124]

Syriac Orthodox Church

Mor Hananyo Monastery, Patriarchal Vicarate of Mardin near Mardin, Turkey. After the Romans withdrew from the fortress, Mor Shlemon transformed it into a monastery in 493 AD.

The

Seyfo
the churches in those churches were destroyed or left ruined.

In modern times, Syriac Orthodox Church hase these provinces in Turkey:[127]

  • Patriarchal Vicariate of
    Filüksinos Yusuf Çetin
    .
  • Patriarchal Vicariate of Mardin under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Filüksinos Saliba Özmen.
  • Patriarchal Vicariate of
    Turabdin
    under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Timotheus Samuel Aktaş.
  • Archbishopric of Adıyaman under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Gregorius Melki Ürek.

Church of the East

Historical

Qodchanis, that was the seat of Shimun-line patriarchs from the 17th century up to the advent of modern times. Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV of the Assyrian Church of the East visited Turkey in 2012.[128]

Protestant churches

Armenian Protestants own 3 churches in Istanbul since the 19th century.[129] There is an Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey.[130] There are Protestant churches for foreigners in compounds and resorts, although they are not counted in lists of churches as they are used only by tourists and expatriates.

Church of England

The Crimea Memorial Church in Turkey is under the jurisdiction of the Church of England

Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe. In 2008 the Anglican bishop of Europe, Geoffrey Rowell, caused controversy by ordaining a local man to minister to Turkish-speaking Anglicans in Istanbul.[131]

Evangelical churches

The

Henry Wellesley Cowley.[132] There were reportedly 15 Turkish converts in Constantinople in 1864. One church minister said "We wanted the Turks first to become Armenian". Hagop A. Chakmakjian commented that "the implication was that to be Christian meant to be identified with the Armenian people".[133]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Recognizing that present-day

Ottoman Turkey in 1850, and—with the help of British LDS soldiers—organized a congregation in Istanbul in 1854.[134] In 1979, another local community of LDS adherents was organized in Ankara.[134]

List of church buildings in Turkey

Churches of the Armenian rite

Church name Picture Status
Church of the Apparition of the Holy Cross (Kuruçeşme, Istanbul)
Yerevman Surp Haç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Archangels Armenian Church (Balat, Istanbul)
Surp Hıreşdagabed Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Cross Armenian Church (Kartal, Istanbul)
Surp Nişan Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Cross Armenian Church (Üskudar, Istanbul)
Surp Haç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Hripsimiants Virgins Armenian Church (Büyükdere, Istanbul)
Surp Hripsimyants Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Apostolic Church (Bakırköy, Istanbul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Church (Beşiktaş, Istanbul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Church (Eyüp, Istanbul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Church (Ortaköy, Istanbul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Church (Yeniköy, Istanbul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Resurrection Armenian Church (Kumkapı, Istanbul)
Surp Harutyun Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Resurrection Armenian Church (Taksim, Istanbul)
Surp Harutyun Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Three Youths Armenian Church (Boyacıköy, Istanbul)
Surp Yerits Mangants Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Trinity Armenian Church (Galatasaray, Istanbul)
Surp Yerrortutyun Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Narlıkapı Armenian Apostolic Church (Narlıkapı, Istanbul)
Surp Hovhannes Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Elijah The Prophet Armenian Church (Eyüp, Istanbul)
Surp Yeğya Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Garabed Armenian Church (Üsküdar, Istanbul)
Surp Garabet Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Armenian church in Vakıflı

Vakıflıköy Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. John The Evangelist Armenian Church (Gedikpaşa, Istanbul)
Surp Hovhannes Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Gregory The Enlightener Armenian Church (Galata, Istanbul) active
St. Gregory The Enlightener Armenian Church (Kuzguncuk, Istanbul)

Surp Krikor Lusaroviç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Gregory The Enlightener Armenian Church (Karaköy, Istanbul)
Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Gregory The Enlightener Armenian Church (Kınalıada, Istanbul)
Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. James Armenian Church (
Altımermer, Istanbul
)
Surp Hagop Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Nicholas Armenian Church (Beykoz, Istanbul)
Surp Nigoğayos Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Nicholas Armenian Church (Topkapı, Istanbul)
Surp Nigoğayos Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Santoukht Armenian Church (Rumelihisarı, Istanbul)
Surp Santuht Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Saviour Armenian Chapel (Yedikule, Istanbul)
Surp Pırgiç Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Sergius Armenian Chapel (Balıklı, Istanbul)
Surp Sarkis Anıt Mezar Şapeli
active
St. Stephen Armenian Church (Karaköy, Istanbul)
Surp Istepanos Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Stephen Armenian Church (Yeşilköy, Istanbul)
Surp Istepanos Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Takavor Armenian Apostolic Church (Kadıkoy, Istanbul)
Surp Takavor Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Saints Thaddeus and Barholomew Armenian Church (Yenikapı, Istanbul)
Surp Tateos Partoğomeos Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Vartanants Armenian Church (Feriköy, Istanbul)
Surp Vartanants Ermeni Kilisesi
active
The Twelve Holy Apostles Armenian Church (Kandilli, Istanbul)
Surp Yergodasan Arakelots Ermeni Kilisesi
active
Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastea Armenian Church (Iskenderun, Hatay)
Surp Karasun Manuk Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. George Armenian Church (Derik, Mardin)
Surp Kevork Ermeni Kilisesi
active
St. Gregory The Enlightener Armenian Church (Kayseri)
Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Ermeni Kilisesi
services held once or twice a year
St. Gregory The Enligtener Armenian Church (Kırıkhan, Hatay)
Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Kilisesi
active
Cathedral of Kars converted into a mosque
Narekavank destroyed, mosque built on the site
St. Giragos Armenian Church (Diyarbakır)

Surp Giragos Ermeni Kilisesi
closed – confiscated by the Turkish State
Ktuts monastery abandoned
Cathedral of Ani abandoned following 1319 earthquake
St. George (Sourp Kevork) Armenian Church (Samatya, Istanbul) unknown
St. John the Baptist Armenian Church (Uskudar) unknown
Cathedral of Mren ruins
Holy Apostles Monastery
ruins
Horomos ruins
Karmravank (Vaspurakan) ruins
Kaymaklı Monastery ruins
Khtzkonk Monastery ruins
Varagavank ruins, protected
Saint Bartholomew Monastery ruins
Saint Karapet Monastery
destroyed, village built on the site
St. Marineh Church, Mush
ruins
St. Stepanos Church destroyed
Tekor Basilica
destroyed
Vank Church in Şenkaya destroyed by treasure hunters in 2021[135]
Virgin Mary Church, Kayseri museum (converted into a library)

Churches of the Byzantine and Greek Orthodox rite

Church name Picture Status
Church of St. George, Istanbul
active
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul)
active
Church of St. Mary of the Mongols
active
İskenderun St. Nicholas Church[136] damaged due to
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
Mersin Orthodox Church active
Church of St. Kyriaki, Istanbul active
Meryem Ana Church
active
Bulgarian St. Stephen Church active
St. Demetrius Church in Feriköy, Istanbul active
Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church in Beyoğlu, Istanbul
active
Panayia Evangelistria in Beyoğlu, Istanbul active. Built in 1893.[137]
Saint Andrew in Krisei converted into a mosque
Chora Church
converted into a mosque
Church of Christ Pantokrator (Constantinople) converted into the Zeyrek Mosque
Church of Christ Pantepoptes (Constantinople) converted into a mosque
Monastery of Gastria converted into a mosque
Hagia Sophia converted into a mosque
Church of the Holy Apostles demolished,
Fatih Mosque
built on top
Church of Saint John the Baptist at Lips (Constantinople) converted into a mosque
Monastery of Stoudios to be converted into a mosque
Church of Saint John the Baptist en to Trullo (Constantinople) converted into a mosque
Myrelaion converted into a mosque
Church of Saint Nicholas of the Caffariotes (Istanbul) converted into a mosque
Pammakaristos Church converted into a mosque
Church of Sergius and Bacchus converted into a mosque
Saint Irene church converted into a mosque
Church of Vefa converted into a mosque
Holy Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora converted into a mosque
Saint Mary of Constantinople converted into a mosque
Church of Hagia Thekla tu Palatiu ton Blakhernon converted into a mosque
Church of Hagios Theodoros (Constantinople)
converted into a mosque
Church of Hagias Theodosias en tois Dexiokratus converted into a mosque
Church of Saint Thomas converted into a mosque
Church of the Theotokos Kyriotissa (Constantinople) converted into a mosque
Nakip Mosque converted into a mosque
Hagios Eugenios Church converted into a mosque
Panagia Chrysokephalos Church converted into a mosque
Virgin Mary Church converted into a mosque
Hagia Sophia, Trabzon converted into a mosque
Hagia Sophia, İznik converted into a mosque
Church of Christ and Saint Stephen converted into a mosque
Toklu Dede Mosque converted into a mosque (before was a church of unknown dedication)
Alâeddin Mosque converted into a mosque (before was a basilica of unknown dedication)
Saint Paul Cathedral converted into a mosque
Aya Panagia Greek Church (Yaman Dede Mosque), Talas, Kayseri converted into a mosque
St. Gregory of Nazianzos Church, (Kilise Camii), Güzelyurt, Aksaray. converted into a mosque
Hagia Irene museum
Sümela Monastery
museum
Virgin Mary Monastery museum
House of the Virgin Mary museum
Church of St Nicholas of Myra(Santa Claus) (Demre) ruins, museum
Taşbaşı Church, Ordu province museum
Saint John's Church, Gülşehir museum
Saint Michael Church in Akçaabat now used for social and cultural activities and museum by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, built in 1332[138]
Saint Voukolos Church now used for social and cultural activities
Kuruköprü Monumental Church museum
Saint Paul's Church, Tarsus museum
Ayazma Church (Faneromeni Church) in Ayvalık After Greeks left in 1925 due to the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, it turned into an olive oil factory, for a period, and because of that the interior of the building changed. There are plans to be turned into a museum.
Church of St. Polyeuctus archaeological site
Churches of Göreme archaeological sites. In Göreme at Cappadocia there are a lot of old Greek churches.
Basilica of St. John archaeological site
Çanlı Kilise archaeological site
Cave monastery of İnceğiz
archaeological site
Gümüşler Monastery archaeological site
Eskigümüş Monastery archaeological site
35 churches and chapels in caves at the Ayazini archaeological site[139]
Church on the Küçük Tavşan Adası archaeological site. A church of the 6th century.[140][141]
Selime Cathedral at the
Ihlara Valley in Cappadocia
archaeological site[142]
Virgin Mary Church at the
Ihlara Valley in Cappadocia
archaeological site[143]
Chapel at Bağcılar archaeological site. In 2023, a Greek chapel has been discovered at Bağcılar in Istanbul.[144]
Saint George Church at Diyarbakır built around 200 AD, now an art gallery[145]
Church of St. John, Tirilye transferred to private property after the Greek population was expelled in 1923 and now is a residence
St. Basil's Church, Tirilye became a Stone School (being used for the workshops for carpentry and iron works) and the "Dündar House" (used as a mess house)
Palace of Antiochos ruins
Church of the Virgin of the Pharos ruins
Kuştul Monastery ruins
Bodrum Aya Nikola Church[TR] ruins
Jason Church ruins
Saint Anne Church, Trabzon ruins
Saint Gregory of Nyssa Church, Trabzon destroyed
Meryem Ana Monastery ruins
Vazelon Monastery ruins
Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery, Trabzon ruins
Sinope Koimesis Church ruins
Göreği Monastery, Fatsa district ruins
Pavrezi Chapel, Gümüşhane[146] ruins
Hagios Georgios Monastery, Gümüşhane[146] ruins
Çakırkaya Monastery, Gümüşhane[146] ruins undergoing restoration[147]
Panagia Monastery, Gümüşhane[146] ruins
Seven or more ruined churches in Santa[148] ruins
Church within Kaymakli/Anakou Underground City ruins
Hagia Triada Church, Ayvalık ruins
Kamışlı Kilisesi/Çakrak Church, Alucra district ruins
Üçayak Byzantine Church ruins
Hasanaliler Church ruins
Hodegon Monastery ruins
Pelekete monastery ruins
Medikion monastery ruins
Batheos Rhyakos Monastery ruins, some buildings are used as animal shelters
Niğde Küçükköy Church ruins
Niğde Prodromos Church ruins
St. Theodore Church (Üzümlü Kilise), Derinkuyu ruins
Üzümlü Church abandoned
Kaman Demirli Church (Kilise Kalıntıları), Kaman ruins of unknown dedication.
Heliou Bomon monastery abandoned
Saint Demetrius Monastery on Cunda Island ruins, built in 1766 destroyed by treasure hunters in 2020[149]
Saint Georgios Church in Nilüfer, Bursa ruins, built in 1896 and fell down in 2020, because it was neglected[150]
Hutura Hagios Monastery Church in Gümüşhane ruins, built in the 14th century, it is often plundered by treasure hunters. The library of the monastery is also destroyed.[151]
St. Yuannis Church (Aziz Yuannis Kilisesi) or St. John the Russian Church, Ürgüp ruins
St. Spyridon Church (Kizil Kilise), Güzelyurt. ruins
Saint Analipsis Church (Yüksek Kilise), Aksaray ruins

Catholic churches

Church name Picture Status
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Istanbul active
St. Anthony of Padua Church in Istanbul
active
Cathedral of the Annunciation, İskenderun damaged due to
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
Church of St. Anthony, Mersin
active
St. John's Cathedral, İzmir active
Church of SS Peter and Paul, Istanbul active
Church of Saint Benoit, Istanbul active
Church of St. Mary Draperis, Istanbul active
Saint Paul Church, Adana active
St. Mary's Church, İzmir active
St. Térèse Church
, Ankara
active
St. George's Catholic Church active[152]
Notre-Dame de L'Assomption, İstanbul active
Church of San Domenico (Constantinople)
converted into a mosque
Church of St Peter
museum

[153]

Churches of the Georgian rite

Turkey's historical Georgian churches are located in the northeast of the country.
Church name Picture Status
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Istanbul (Bomonti Gürcü Katolik Kilisesi) active
Khakhuli Monastery (Haho/Bağbaşı) converted into a mosque
Doliskana (Dolishane/Hamamlıköy) converted into a mosque
Ishkhani (İşhan) protected

(since 1987)[154]

Parkhali (Barhal/Altıparmak) protected[155]
Otkhta Eklesia
(Dörtkilise)
abandoned
Oshki (Öşki Manastırı/Öşk Vank/Çamlıyamaç) abandoned
Khandzta ruins
Ekeki ruins
Parekhi ruins
Makriali St. George church, Kemalpaşa, Artvin ruins
St. Barlaam Monastery (Barlaham Manastırı), Yayladağı
ruins
Ancha monastery ruins
Okhvame, Ardeşen ruins
Tskarostavi monastery ruins
Bana cathedral (Penek) ruins
Tbeti Monastery
(Cevizli)
ruins
old Georgian Church, Ani ruins
Opiza ruins

Protestant churches

Anglican churches

Church name Picture Status
Christ Church, Istanbul active
St. John the Evangelist's Anglican Church, İzmir active

Other churches

Church name Picture Status
Buca Protestant Baptist Church[TR] active
Kreuzkirche, İstanbul[DE] active
Samsun Protestant Church active
Church of the Resurrection, İzmir active
All Saints' Church, Moda active

Churches of the Syriac rite

Church name Picture Status
Mor Sharbel Syriac Orthodox church in Midyat active
Mor Gabriel Monastery active
Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, Yeşilköy, Istanbul active[156]
Mor Hananyo Monastery active
Mor Yuhanna Monastery in Eğil museum[157]
Zuqnin Monastery

List of settlements

Mardin

Majority Christian population

Significant Christian population

Şırnak

Majority Christian population

See also

References

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Sources

Further reading

External links