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| The gallery level of the church. |
Bidding to construct the church
In Ottoman times, the Bulgarian minority worshipped in churches attached to the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. In the 19th century, out of a sense of rising nationalism, they received permission from the state to build their own church. A house donated by Prince Stefan Bogoridi was converted into a small, wooden church. A decision was made to build a larger church, and Istanbul architect Hovsep Aznavur designed the plans. An international competition to decide who would build the church was won by an Austrian company called R Ph Wagner. Since the soil where the church was to be built was weak, the foundation and church were constructed entirely of cast iron. The church was prefabricated in Vienna and shipped down the Danube and across the Bosphorus in sections. After a year and a half, the neo-Gothic and neo-Baroque style church was completed in 1898, and has the distinction of being one of the first prefabricated structures built.
From yesterday to today
The church still holds weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, and will host the International Istanbul Music Festival this year. The verger of the former Bulgarian School located across the street has the keys to the church and may let you in, but it is better to come here on an organised tour.| Helpful hints |
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* For more information, read 'Sveti Stefan Bulgar Kilisesi' (Yapı Kredi Publishing) by Hasan Kuruyazıcı and Mete Tapan * Tours are organised by Yedi Tepe (www.7tepe.biz) Deep Nature, www.deepnature.com. *Adres / Address: Mürsel Paşa Cad. Haliç. Tel: +90 212 521 11 21. |
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