Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Central Church

Surp Asdvadzadzin patriarchal Central Church, one of the largest Christian structures in Istanbul, is located in the Fatih district on the European side of the city. Its origin dates back to before the conquest of Istanbul. An interesting and unfortunate story begins with the conversion of the Byzantine church to the Armenian Church in 1641.

The church burned down four years after its construction and was rebuilt in a short time. In 1718, another fire was encountered and was rebuilt by the efforts of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Istanbul. After the fire of 1762, it was renovated without losing time. As a precaution against possible fires, the church is surrounded by stone walls and a pool was built. But in 1826, despite all measures, it burned down once again.

The cause of the fires is that they were made of wood each time. . The church, built of stone by decree of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, reached the present-day after undergoing major repairs after 1828.

There are a holy spring and a bronze bust within the structure. The bell tower, dated 1870, is also still in use. Repair works of Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Central Church, which started in the 1990s and conducted partially with some additions repeated about every 10 years and it is open to worship and visit today. It also hosts cultural events. It attracts attention with its sophisticated architecture.