The Balıklı Greek Hospital (, ) is a health care institution at Balıklı neighborhood of

Yedikule Yedikule (''Seven Towers'') is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 15,789 (2022). It is named after the seven-towered Yedikule Fortress, which surrounds the neighborhood. Urbaniz ...

quarter in

Zeytinburnu Zeytinburnu (literally, ''Olive Cape'') is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 12 km2, and its population is 292,616 (2022). It is a working-class area on the European side of Istanbul, T ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, which was established in the 1753 and continues its service run by the Greek community of Turkey.

History

The Balıklı Greek Hospital was originally established as the Yedikule Hospital through

Ottoman government The Ottoman Empire developed over the years as a despotism with the Sultan as the supreme ruler of a centralized government that had an effective control of its provinces, officials and inhabitants. Wealth and rank could be inherited but were ...

edict in 1753. The hospital was built and sponsored by the Union of Greek Grocers. The immediate objective of the hospital was to help cure epidemics and common diseases specifically affecting the ethnic Greek population of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. The hospital however was subjected to a fire in 1790, which completely destroyed the structure. The hospital was rebuilt in 1793 under the sponsorship of Patriarch Neophytus VIII (reigned 1891-1894). Balikli Rum Hastanesi 2010-10-09 01

By the end of the 18th century, the Greek community of Constantinople had built three hospitals: this one, in 1762 another in the district of

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 nota ...

and in 1780 a third in

Pera Pera may refer to: Places * Pera (Beyoğlu), a district in Istanbul formerly called Pera, now called Beyoğlu ** Galata, a neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, often referred to as Pera in the past * Pêra (Caparica), a Portuguese locality in the district o ...

. All three hospitals had their own particular constitutions, but they were all placed under the supervision of the

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

, who was responsible for nominating the administrative boards of the hospitals. In 1852, through the sponsorship of Patriarch Cyril VI, the Balıklı hospital established an orphanage on the premises. The hospitals records reveal that the community's hospitals were open to all patiences regardless of ethnic origin and religious beliefs. The hospital also features a church, which serves not only for the patients but the Greek Orthodox community at large. During the

Istanbul riots The Istanbul pogrom, also known as the Istanbul riots, were a series of state-sponsored anti-Greek mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul's Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. The pogrom was orchestrated by the governing Democrat ...

of 1955, the hospital received many patients, who suffered from trauma, rape, and physical abuse. The hospital was restored in 1991 and in 1994, the first private clinic for the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse in Turkey was established. In late 1960, the Turkish treasure seized the properties of the Balıklı Greek Hospital. The hospital sued the treasury on the ground that the transfer of its property was illegal, but the Turkish courts were in favor of the Turkish treasure. In August 2002, a new law was passed by the Turkish parliament to protect the minorities rights, because of Turkey's EU candidacy. With this new law, it prevented the Turkish treasury from seizing community foundations properties.

Today

Today, Balıklı Greek Hospital continues to cater the public in Istanbul. In 2011, the hospital had 39 doctors, 98 nurses, and other assistants and personnel, which accounted for 440 employees in total. On August 4, 2022, a fire broke out on the roof of the hospital. The roof was completely destroyed and the upper floor was also destroyed except for the exterior walls. However, the ground floor of the hospital remained unscathed from the fire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balikli Greek Hospital Hospitals in Istanbul Buildings and structures completed in 1793 Hospital buildings completed in the 18th century Greeks from the Ottoman Empire Zeytinburnu Hospitals established in the 1750s Greeks in Istanbul Ottoman hospitals 1793 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Istanbul pogrom