Sveti Stefan Church

The Stefan Bulgar Church, which was recently inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after undergoing extensive restoration in Istanbul, is located on the banks of the Golden Horn. It is between Balat and Fener districts and is also known as ‘Iron Church’.

The birth of the structure dated back to the permission taken by Stefan Bogoridi, an important statesman in the Ottoman Empire, from the Sultan Amdülmecit I about the construction of a Bulgarian Church in Istanbul and donating the vast plot of land where his house is located for the construction of the structure. The church, which was built in a short time, was called ’Saint Stephen'. The church, however, was made of wood and burned down in 1898. Then the present church was built.

An important milestone in the fast-moving process towards independence in 1908, the edict on the axis of recognition of Bulgarians as a separate religious community in 1870 was read in this church. The church in Istanbul is considered an important icon that has influenced the increase of cultural awareness for Bulgarians.

The main reason it is called Iron Church is the extraordinary amount of iron used in the construction of the church. It was one of two iron churches in the world in its era. When the other one disappeared, it remained the only Iron Church.

It is among the top historical buildings in artistic and architectural terms. The decorations outside the church, which has three domes, are of a rare kind. The section called iconostasis, which is unique to Orthodox churches, is interpreted as a masterpiece. Some of its 40-meter-high bells can also be used actively today. It is a sophisticated work with all the details. The church, which has been provided with many items through donations, is visited by a large number of Bulgarians every year.