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| The church apartments are connected by a bridge. |
The Church of St Anthony of Padua, one of Beyoglu's most important monuments, is located about halfway between Taksim and Tünel on İstiklal Caddesi. The church is known among Turks as ''Sen Antuan'', the phonetic reading of its name in French.
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| The main altar. |
A saint is born...
St Anthony was born in 1195 in Lisbon, the first son of a noble family. At the age of 15, he joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. He later continued his education at the Convent of Santa Croce in Cóimbra. He and became a Franciscan preacher and later Minister Provincial of Emilia. Anthony died on June 13, 1231 and was buried in the small church of Santa Maria in Padua. He was canonised by Pope Gregory IX a year later. His remains were moved to a church built by the Franciscans and the Paduans, and Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church. St Anthony is the patron saint of fishermen, sailors and travellers, and his saint's day is June 13.The Franciscans came to Istanbul in 1221 and built a church in Galata in 1230. This was the only Franciscan church in Istanbul for 350 years. The church was converted into a mosque under Sultan Mustafa II, and a new Franciscan church was built in Pera, dedicated to St Anthony. The stone church opened on October 29, 1763. However, in 1904, the church was torn down in order to make room for the new tram. The Franciscans began to look for a home on the same avenue for their new church, and chose the site of the former Concordia Theatre, which had burned down in a major fire. The new church was designed by architects Giulio Mongeri and Edoardo De Nari. Construction began in 1906 and was completed in 1911.
The gate to life
One enters the grounds of the church through a green iron gate that stands between two apartment buildings that are part of the church complex. The apartments are connected to each other by a stunning bridge. The cobblestone courtyard leads you to the church door, considered the gate of life. The church is Beyoglu's oldest building made of reinforced concrete and is in the shape of a cross. Inside, your eyes are immediately drawn to the bright, stained glass windows, turquoise ceiling and figure of Jesus on the cross. Like all other Catholic churches, the church is filled with icons, statues and paintings that depict scenes from the Bible. The next time you find yourself walking down İstiklal, step into the courtyard of the church and take a moment to enjoy the relaxing peace and quiet. In the words of Father Anton Bulai who has written a book about the church, may your childhood be like the morning, your adulthood like the afternoon and your old age like the evening.
| Helpful hints... |
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* The church is open on weekdays from 08.00-19.00, and from 08.00-18.00 on weekends. * There will be services on December 24, Christmas Eve, at 20.00 and 21.00. On December 25, there will be masses in English, Polish and Italian between 10.00-11.30 and in Turkish at 18.00. * Address: İstiklal Cad. 325 34433 Beyoglu. Tel: 0212-244 09 35 www.sentantuan.com |
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