Yeşilköy

Yeşilköy (Turkish pronunciation:

Location

The mahalle is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometres west of Istanbul's

In the 19th century, the whole village was owned by the prominent Armenian Dadian family.^[3]

During the

On 10 July 1894, San Stefano – as with the whole Marmara region of Constantinople – was hit by a strong earthquake, followed by a tsunami.^[4] The sea receded 100 metres from the shore and the following tsunami created giant waves which devastated the coast.^[4] The boathouse, the docks and large wooden structures were damaged, many houses were destroyed or damaged and also the train track was severely damaged by the quake.^[4]

San Stefano was where the first aviation facilities were built in the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and an aviation school was set up and later developed by German officers to train pilots for the

In 1912, during the Balkan Wars, thousands of soldiers suffering from cholera were brought here, and about 3,000 of them died and were buried near the train station.^[3]

Shortly after the Ottomans' entry into the

Religious traditions

In the Greek Orthodox Church of Aghios Stephanos on 26 December each year (Saint's Day), the ceremony named Thysias (

Yeşilköy retains some remarkable examples of Art Nouveau wooden houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th century.^[3] Yeşilköy preserves some remarkable examples of Art Nouveau wooden houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th century. Among them:

Crespin House

The house, which is one of the oldest residences in Yeşilköy, is now a boutique hotel serving mainly foreign tourists.^[12] The objects decorating the lobby do not come from the Crespins, but from the collection of the current owners.^[12] Edouard Crespin's father, one of Yeşilköy's best-known personalities, came to Bursa as Consul representing the King of France during the reign of Mahmud II.^[12] When he retired, he stayed in Bursa and started the silk trade.^[12] His son Edouard Crespin settled in Yeşilköy and built the house, located at Istanbul Caddesi 29.^[12]

Semprini Houses

Among the historical buildings in Yeşilköy are three townhouses built in 1900 on Istasyon Caddesi by Guglielmo Semprini, a famous Levantine architect of Italian origin, who designed many works in Istanbul, and is best known for the Grand Hotel de Londres in Tepebaşı [tr], Taksim.^[12]

Religious landmarks

The district contains a mosque and four notable churches (Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Roman Catholic and Syriac). The first three churches are dedicated to St Stephen,^[3] the last to St Ephrem. Moreover, the quarter hosts also one of the few Ayazma still in use in Istanbul.

Mecidiye Mosque

The mosque, the first built in the locality, is the Mecidiye cami (dedicated to the Order of the Medjidie, an Ottoman order) and was built to the design of the Ottoman architect Mimar Kemaleddin in the years between the end of the reign of Mehmed V and the beginning of the Republic.^[11]

Agios Stephanos Greek Orthodox Church

The church, possibly built where important personalities in Yeşilköy's history have been buried, is located on Mirasyedi Sokak.^[13] The current structure, which bears parts of the first church built in the Byzantine period on its façade, was built in 1845.^[13] Its exterior dimensions are 22.31 x 13.75 metres, while its height is about 10.5 metres.^[13] The church has a basilica plan with three naves.^[13] The bell tower was built later.^[13] The small icons in the upper part of the iconostasis contain episodes from the life of Jesus Christ, while the larger ones in the lower part contain, from left to right, depictions of St. Stephen, Mary and the Infant Jesus, Jesus Christ and John the Baptist.^[13]

Surp Stepanos Armenian Church

The church, located on Inci Ciceǧi Sokak, was built in 1844 under the leadership of Bogos Bey, a member of the Dadyan family, and still serves Yeşilköy's large Armenian community today.^[14] The gate to the complex, which is separated from the street by a high wall, is noteworthy.^[14] In the 1870s, a school, still active today, was built next to the church.^[14]

Santo Stefano Roman Catholic Church

The church, the construction of which was started in 1865 according to the design of architect Pietro Vitalis, and finished in 1886, is located on Cumbuṣ Sokak.

In Yeşilköy on 3 August 2019, in the presence of the Patriarch of the Syriac Church, Patriarch Bartholomew and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan laid the foundation stone of the first Syriac church to be erected in Turkey since the founding of the republic.[8] The area chosen for the construction is a part of the land of the ancient Levantine cemetery.^[8] The temple was completed in 2023.^[16]

Aghiasma of Aghia Fotini

In the vicinity of the Greek church, there is also an aghiasma, i.e. a Greek Orthodox sacred spring, dating back to the Byzantine period and dedicated to Aghia Fotini, located in the basement of a house and freely accessible from the street,^[17] which is a covered pedestrian pathway hosting several restaurants.

Religious buildings gallery

• 
  Mecidiye Mosque
• 
  Agios Stephanos Greek Orthodox church
• 
  Surp Stepanos Armenian church
• 
  Santo Stefano Roman Catholic church
• 
  St. Efrem Syrian Orthodox church
• 
  Aghiasma of Agia Photini

Transportation

Yeşilköy has a station for the

Economy

The headquarters of

Yeşilköy has a Marina - the Yeşilköy Burnu Marina - [22] and sandy beaches.^[3]

Culture

On the waterfront, a small museum dedicated to the village and its minorities has been opened in 2012.

Honour

San Stefano Peak on Rugged Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the settlement, in connection with the Treaty of San Stefano.

Images of Yeşilköy

• 
  View of the

  Marmara Sea

  from Yeşilköy
• 
  Yeşilköy Marina
• 
  Yeşilköy Lighthouse (now in Yeşilyurt)
• 
  Yeşilköy Air Base in 1911

Notes