Edirnekapı is a quarter of

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 Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. It is part of the district of

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

and belongs to the walled city. It corresponds roughly to the central part of the sixth Hill of Istanbul, which is the highest point of the walled city. It lies south of the

Blachernae Blachernae ( gkm, Βλαχέρναι) was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. It is the site of a water source and a number of prominent churches were built there, most notably the great ...

section of the Walls and of the neighborhood of

Ayvansaray Ayvansaray is a picturesque neighbourhood on the Golden Horn in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, between Balat and Eyüp. It lies inside what was the walled city on Constantinople and later of İstanbul and corresponds to the old quarter ...

, northwest of

Karagümrük Karagümrük is a neighborhood in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighborhood gives its name to a professional football club Fatih Karagümrük S.K., also called Karagümrükspor, that is based in the Karagümrük neighbourhood since 192 ...

and west of Salmatomruk. The quarter corresponds to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

quarter of Deuteron. The name Edirnekapı ("Gate of

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

") hearkens back to Edirne's Gate (the ancient Gate of Charisius), crossed by the old road, which led to Edirne, the ancient Adrianople in

Thracia Thracia or Thrace ( ''Thrakē'') is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians. Thrace was ruled by the Odrysian kingdom during the Classical and Hellenistic eras, and briefly by the Greek ...

. The district had a significant percentage of

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

population, which left it for more central areas after 1955. The quarter is crossed by ''Fevzi Paşa Caddesi'', one of the most important roads of the historic part of Istanbul.

Places of interest

Edirnekapı has several historical sites, like the Museum of Chora, the historic Hagia Yorgi

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

Church, a UNESCO world heritage site and the imperial Mosque of Mihrimah Sultan. Outside the gate lies the

Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery The Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery ( tr, Edirnekapı Şehitliği), one of the largest burial grounds of Istanbul, Turkey, is located in the neighborhood of Edirnekapı of Eyüp district, in the European part of the city. It consists of an old ...

, one of the oldest cemeteries of Istanbul. The famous legist

Ibrahim al-Halabi Burhān ad-Dīn Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥalabī (برهان الدين ٳبراهيم بن محمد بن ٳبراهيم الحلبى) was an Islamic jurist (''faqīh'') who was born around 1460 in Aleppo, and who died in 1549 ...

is buried here.

Hagia Yorgi Church

The Hagia Yorgi Church in Edirnekapı was demolished with the order of Byzantine Emperor

Constantine V Constantine V ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantīnos; la, Constantinus; July 718 – 14 September 775), was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able ...

and rebuilt. The structure survived until the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans. During the construction of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the Ottoman era in 1556, the Hagia Yorgi Church, which was on the land of the mosque, was demolished and moved to its current place. In the 17th century, the church was also known as Hagia Yorgi Platea d’Oignon. It was restored in 1726 and in 1730. Sometime later, the structure collapsed and was rebuilt in 1836 by the architect Nikolaos. The structure underwent a complete restoration afterward. A small restoration was done later in 1991 under the inspection of

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''pr ...

. In 2014, a three-year restoration started and the church reopened at 2017.Hagia Yorgi Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul opens after three-year restoration
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Notes

References

* Quarters of Fatih Golden Horn Byzantine church buildings in Istanbul {{Istanbul-geo-stub