Tur-i Sinai Church

We are in Balat, which has always been an important settlement, a witness to history, and a cradle of culture. Tur-i Sinai Church, also known as Balatkapı İonnes Prodromos Church or St. John the Baptist Church, is the only Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul that is not affiliated with the Istanbul Patriarchate but with the Archbishopric of Sinai in Egypt and the St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai.

The St. Catherine Orthodox Monastery in Egypt is considered the oldest Christian monastery in the world that is still actively used in its original function. Mount Sinai, which Muslims call the Mount of Moses, is considered sacred to all divine religions because it is accepted as the place where the 10 Commandments were sent to Hz. Moses. The importance of the St. Catherine Monastery is that it is the monastery where the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad was given the good news and adapted by Priest Bahira when he was 12 years old and Priest Nestura when he was 25 years old as a result of the signs he saw. Hz. In the second year of the Hijra, Muhammad gave an Amanname (immunity) letter to the Saint Catherine Monastery in order to congratulate him, in return for the kindness of the monastery priests. Upon seeing this Amanname on his return from the Egyptian Expedition, Yavuz Sultan Selim declared and decreed that in return for the priests giving him this document, they would always maintain this immunity and that he would build a monastery and church belonging to Tur-i Sina in Istanbul. This is confirmed in the decree dated H1048 issued by Murad IV. As was the custom in the past, there is a hand drawing in this decree.

It is estimated that the monastery built in Balat was built between 1300-1350. According to the stone inscription in Tur-i Sina Church, the structure has been renovated many times but is currently waiting for restoration.

Tur-i Sina Church has a rectangular plan and has an entrance in the southwest of its courtyard. However, since the level of Mürsel Paşa Street has been raised, this entrance is unusable. Tur-i Sina Church has a narthex, naos, bema, apses, gallery, and holy spring. Wood was used as a covering material. The narthex is covered with a wooden ceiling in the interior. The narthex walls of Tur-i Sina Church are made of brick, but it is estimated that the original narthex was wooden-framed.

In addition to the church building, there is also a library and a guesthouse in the same courtyard as the church. However, since the monastery and its structures were used as residences for a long time, they have unfortunately lost their original function today. When we look at the photographs and drawings of Tur-i Sina Church from 1986, we see a bell tower placed on the landing of the stairs leading to the first floor of the library, but this bell tower has not survived to the present day.

Photo Source: https://www.fatihhaber.com/balat-tur-i-sina-kilisesi-hakkinda-bazi-bilgiler/3186/