St. Paul Church, alternatively known as the ''Bebekli Kilise'', is a

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana Province, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart ...

. The church was built as an

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

in 1870, and handed over to the

Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia The Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Anatoliensis, tr, Anadolu Havarisel Vekilliği) is a Roman Catholic Latin apostolic vicariate in the eastern half of Anatolia (Asian Turkey). The missionary pre-diocesan jurisd ...

in 1915, after the Ottoman deportation of the city's large Armenian community over the course of

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

. St. Paul Church is located close to the 5 Ocak Square, off the Cemal Gürsel Street. The 2.5 meter high bronze statue of Mary resembled a baby to the people walking by and the church became known as the "Church with Baby" (Bebekli Kilise).
" Adana Catholic Church. Retrieved on 28 September 2015. The church currently serves to the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Community of Adana. The garden of the church is converted into a car parking to raise income for the church. File:Adana Saint Paul Catholic Church.jpg, Church front File:Adana Saint Paul Church 3040.jpg, Church Apse and more interior File:Adana Saint Paul Church 3042.jpg, Church Altar File:Adana Saint Paul Church 3051.jpg, Adana Nativity scene

References

See also