Saint Benoit (french: Saint Benoît; tr, Saint Benoît Latin Katolik Kilisesi; also it, Santa Maria della Cisterna) is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Church in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Turkey, important for historical reasons. Established in 1427, the shrine is the oldest
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
of Istanbul still in use.
[Janin (1953) p. 582-601]
Location
The edifice lies in Istanbul, in the district of
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (, ota, بكاوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...
, in the neighborhood of
Karaköy (ancient Galata), almost at the border with
Tophane, at Kemeraltı Caddesi 11, on a terrace at the top of a staircase.
History
Byzantine Age
On May 12, 1427,
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
Dom Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
Nicolas Meynet, together with friars from
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
founded a monastery in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, on the southeastern slope of the
Galata
Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most notabl ...
hill.
[Janin (1953) p. 593] The Genoese had since a few years enlarged for the sixth and last time the wall which protected their ''Peyre Galata'' citadel, and the monastery was built just inside the new ramparts.
[Mamboury (1953) p. 314] The church, jointly dedicated to
St. Benedict
Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...
and the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
( la, Sancta Maria de Misericordia),
[Müller-Wiener (1977) p. 100] lay on the ruins of an ancient church and near a large cistern, both Byzantine.
[ Due to that, the church was also known as of "Santa Maria della Cisterna".][ On May 13, 1449, the Friars joined the congregation of St. Justine from Padova. In 1450, the little monastery had 16 monks.][ In 1453, shortly before the Ottoman ]Conquest of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...
, the friars sent all the relics and the religious ornaments of their church to Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
and then to Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, to rescue them from the impending Ottoman attack.[
]
Ottoman Age
After 1478, the community was repeatedly shuttered by fights among friars,[Janin (1953) p. 594] until Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent menaced to convert the building into a mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
for the Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
who, expelled in those years from Spain, were resettling in Galata.[ Thanks to the intercession of King ]Francois I
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
of France, the friars could remain in the complex, which became the Royal chapel of the Ambassador of France at the Porte
Porte may refer to:
*Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire
*Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy
*John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator
*Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...
.[Mamboury (1953) p. 315] In 1540, French voyager Pierre Gilles
Petrus Gyllius or Gillius (or Pierre Gilles) (1490–1555) was a French natural scientist, topographer and translator.
Gilles was born in Albi, southern France. A great traveller, he studied the Mediterranean and Orient, producing such works as ...
visited the site, and described the giant cistern with 300 columns, which were later dismantled and sold by the Genoese.[Müller-Wiener (1977) p. 101]
On 18 November 1583, members of the Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
led by Giulio Mancinelli, sent by Pope Gregory XIII upon request of the ''Magnifica Communità di Pera'' (the Genoese administration in Galata), took charge of the church, founding a school in the precincts of the monastery.[
The shrine burned several times: after the first fire in 1610, it was restored by a ]Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
and French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
endowment.[ St. Benoit was the only church to be spared by the great fire of Galata of 1660, but the monastery in that occasion was damaged and plundered.][
During the Seventeenth Century the monastery's life was disturbed several times by ]plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
and internal disputes among friars.[ In 1686 the church burned because of negligence, and was restored by the friars and the French ambassador.][ In this occasion the Mufti of Istanbul donated the pillars still standing at the top of the staircase, and approved the reconstruction project with a ]lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
roof cover and vaults, elements usually allowed only for mosques.[ In 1696 the church burned again but was restored one year later by the association of the Merchants of ]Marseilles
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
.[
In this period St. Benoit became the most prestigious church of Galata, being used as a burial place by the upper class of the quarter and by several aristocrats and French ambassadors.][ Moreover, Saint Benoit was also used as national church of the Germans in Istanbul.][ During these years n hospital was added to the complex.][ The Seventeenth-Century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi describes the shrine as a "French church with an ]Organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
".[ In 1731 the edifice burned again during another quarter fire, but was restored in 1732 by the French Ambassador.][
On 6 July 1735 the body of the Hungarian exile ]Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
, considered a national hero in his country, was buried in St. Benoit, next to his mother Zrínyi Ilona. There they remained, their graves often visited by Hungarian visitors to the city, until moved to Hungary in 1906.
After the Suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773,[ in 1783 French ]Lazarist
, logo =
, image = Vincentians.png
, abbreviation = CM
, nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians
, established =
, founder = Vincent de Paul
, fou ...
s friars took over the complex.[ At the end of the eighteenth century a chapel dedicated to ]St. Anne
According to Christianity, Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Gospel#Canonical gospels, canonical gospels. ...
was built.[ After problems during the ]French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, in 1804 the friars restored the church,[ and transformed the existing school into the "" ( tr, Özel Saint-Benoît Fransız Lisesi) ][ which exists still today and is one of the most prestigious private schools in Istanbul.
In 1839, nuns belonging to the Soeurs de la Charité (Daughters of Charity) society came from France and founded the female section of the school.][ In 1840 the school was moved to Bebek,][ but after the demolition of part of the Genoese ramparts of Galata, the school moved back here. In 1865 part of the left aisle and the atrium with several inscriptions burned. This part of the church was coarsely restored in 1871.][
In 1867 the complex was enlarged with the erection of the "Maison de la providence" complex, comprising, among others, an orphanage, an hospital and a seminary.][ ]
The church was never one of the Roman Catholic Parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es of the Frankish quarter of Istanbul,[ but is the oldest Catholic church in Istanbul still in use.][
]
Architecture and interior
The church has the entrance on Kemeraltı Caddesi, and can be reached by a staircase leading uphill.[ The complex leans on a terrace, perhaps part of the Byzantine cistern which once lay nearby. During the Ottoman age the site became a fruit garden, and was then known under the name Çukurbostan ("Hollow Garden").][ Originally the small church with three naves had only one dome (the two over the side aisles are later additions), an atrium and a gallery, while the interior was decorated with much admired mosaics depicting the life and passion of Christ.][ The rectangular building is oriented in direction southwest–northeast and has an entrance on the west side with an atrium whose ]column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
s and capitals
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
are almost totally Byzantine spolia
''Spolia'' (Latin: 'spoils') is repurposed building stone for new construction or decorative sculpture reused in new monuments. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice whereby stone that has been quarried, cut and used in a built ...
.[ The edifice's brickwork is made of alternate rows of stones and bricks, and the three naves are covered by groin vaults.][ The main and the south naves originate from the 1752 restoration, while the north one has been erected during the 1871 reconstruction.][Eyice(1955) p. 104] The first two naves end to the east with small chambers covered with domes.[ It is possible that the southernmost of these chambers is still a remain of an ancient Byzantine church.][ The portal on Kemeraltı Caddesi and the bell tower with square plan and crenelated moulding, originally a watch tower,][ come both from the fifteenth century.][ In the interior, several inscribed gravestones from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries remember wealthy ]Levantine Levantine may refer to:
* Anything pertaining to the Levant, the region centered around modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, including any person from the Levant
** Syria (region), corresponding to the modern countries of the Lev ...
families, church's benefactors, and French Ambassadors.[ In the church were among others buried the Croatian noblewoman ]Jelena Zrinska Jelena, also written Yelena and Elena, is a Slavic given name. It is a Slavicized form of the Greek name Helen, which is of uncertain origin. Diminutives of the name include Jelica, Jelka, Jele, Jela, Lena, Lenotschka, Jeca, Lenka, and Alena.
Not ...
and her son, the Hungarian aristocrat Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
, both dead in exile in the Ottoman Empire.[Eyice(1955) p. 105]
See also
*Embassy chapel
An embassy chapel is a place of worship within a foreign mission. Historically they have sometimes acted as clandestine churches, tolerated by the authorities to operate discreetly. Since embassies are exempt from the host country's laws, a form o ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, Istanbul, Church of Saint
Churches completed in 1427
Roman Catholic churches in Istanbul
Beyoğlu
15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1871
Embassy chapels
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Turkey
15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Turkey