Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul

It was built in Kumkapı, Istanbul in 1461 as a church and later given to the Armenians by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, and was intended to manage the spiritual and worldly affairs of the community living in the Ottoman Empire at that time.

It has an interesting story in its history; Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who went to Bursa before the conquest of Istanbul, wanted to meet with the Bishop of Bursa Armenians, Hovagim. When Sultan Mehmed suddenly entered Hovagim's room, Hovagim got excited. When the Sultan asked what he was doing, he replied, "I am reading the word of Allah" and showed the Holy Book in his hand. Sultan Mehmet also asked Hovagim to open a random page from the Holy Book and interpret it. The random page Hovagim opened was a section about kings and Hovagim said, 'My Sultan, you will discover vast places and become the sultan of the whole world.' The Sultan, who was passionate about conquering Istanbul, asked whether Constantinople existed in the whole world, and when he received the answer, ‘What doubt is there, my Sultan? Why open a book for this?’, he made a promise to Hovagim. The Sultan said, ‘I swear to God that if I conquer Constantinople, I will settle your community in this city and declare you a patriarch.’

After he kept his promise after conquering the city, the Armenian Patriarchate was built. Before the conquest of Istanbul, it was forbidden to have an Orthodox church within the city walls, but Sultan Mehmed gave a few churches within the city walls to the Armenians after the conquest, and because of this tolerance, the Armenians accepted Fatih Sultan Mehmed as the founder of the Armenian Patriarchate.

After Sultan Mehmed conquered Istanbul, he settled Armenians in Istanbul so that there would be an alternative community for the Greeks and to prevent them from rebelling in the future. In fact, Istanbul even became a place of exile for Armenians who committed crimes. As promised, the Sultan declared Bursalı Hovagim as the patriarch and gave the Sulu Monastery in Samatya, which he had taken from the Greeks, to the Armenians to use as a patriarchate. Later, the Patriarchate moved to Kumkapı.

The patriarchate burned many times in this district, which was famous for its fires, but in the last fires in the 1850s, it was no longer usable and the patriarchate church and patriarchate building were rebuilt by Kazaz Artin Amira Bezciyan, who was the head jeweler and chief advisor of Sultan Mahmud II. The Armenian Patriarchate, which had been subject to fire many times and was damaged over time, has undergone many restoration works.

The Patriarchate also includes the Saint Mary Mother Patriarchal Orthodox Church, also known as the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church. The exact date of construction of the church, which is located right across from the Patriarchate, is unknown. The building, which also houses a school, has suffered several fires throughout history and was last repaired in 1902 and 1985.

Pope Benedict XVI, who came to our country in 2006, also visited this Patriarchate.

Photo Source: https://turksandarmenians.marmara.edu.tr/tr/istanbul-ermeni-patrikhanesinin-kurulusu-ve-statusu/ & http://www.turkiyeermenileripatrikligi.org/site/patrikhane-patriklik-makami/