Church of St. Mary of the Mongols

The Church of St. Mary of the Mongols, also known as the Bloody Church, is an Orthodox church located in Balat, which has been home to history for generations in Istanbul.

Built in the early 7th century by Princess Sopatra, daughter of Byzantine Emperor Maurikios, and her friend Eustolia, this monastery fell into ruin after the Crusades. When the city was regained control by the Byzantines in 1261, the monastery was rebuilt as a single-story structure. The Mongol raids against Anatolia began to strain the military and material power of the Byzantine Empire, and as a solution, Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII sent his illegitimate daughter Maria Despina Palaiologina to the Mongol Emperor Hulagu as a bride. Hulagu died before the bride could reach the city, and Maria was forced to marry the Emperor's son, Abaka Khan.

Maria, who made a name for herself with her good deeds and charitable works in Mongolia, turned to religion and tried to spread Christianity during her exile and became known as the Virgin Mary of the East. After the death of Abaka Khan, Maria returned to her homeland and had this monastery in Balat built and a church built next to it. She dedicated her entire life to this church and became a nun. From this date on, the monastery and church were nicknamed “Mongolların” (Of the Mongols).

This church, built on the fifth hill of Istanbul, was donated to the mother of Christodoulos, the architect of the Fatih Mosque, by Sultan Mehmed II after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. Similarly, Bayezid II gave the church to Christodoulos’ nephew.

This church, one of the rare works that has survived since the Byzantine period, still exists and its religious identity is preserved with the decrees of the Ottoman sultans themselves. It was not converted into a mosque during the Ottoman period in Istanbul and was left to the worship of the Greeks and is the only church from the Byzantine period. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the only church that has not been converted into a mosque. There are many historical churches in Istanbul dating back to the pre-conquest period. However, it is the only Orthodox church with a dome that has not been converted into a mosque.

So why is it called ‘bloody’? Rumor has it that after the conquest of Istanbul, there were some lootings in the city. It is said that very violent clashes took place especially in the Fener region. The Orthodox blood flowing around this church, which is considered to be among the steepest slopes in Istanbul, mixed with the Golden Horn and for this reason it began to be called the Bloody Church. According to another rumor, it was adopted as the Bloody Church only because its exterior was red.

The church, which is located behind high walls in the Fatih district, is generally not open to the public.

Photo Source: https://vymaps.com/TR/Azize-Meryem-Kilisesi-396941/