Saint Mary Draperis (, ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church in

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 ...

, important for historical reasons. Established in 1678, the church is one of the most ancient Catholic

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es of Istanbul. The edifice lies in Istanbul, in the district of

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

, at 215, Istiklal Caddesi, (the ancient ''Grande Rue de Pera''), at the bottom of a steep staircase, which is protected by an artistic fence.

History

In 1453, a few months 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 was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-day siege which ha ...

, Observant Franciscan

Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

s completed the construction of the church of ''Saint Anthony of the Cypresses'' () in

Sirkeci Sirkeci () is a neighborhood in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey. In the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine period, the area was known as Prosphorion Harbour, Prosphorion ().Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 57 The neighborhood b ...

(at that time center of the venetian Merchants in

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 ...

), on the southern bank of the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

, but soon after the Conquest they were forced to abandon it.Mamboury (1953), p. 316 After several peregrinations, in 1584 they moved to

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 ...

, in the neighborhood of ''Mumhane'' (), where a Levantine woman, Clara Maria Draperis, endowed them a house with a tiny chapel.S. Maria Draperis: Notizie sulla chiesa (2012) The altar of the chapel was adorned with a wooden

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

portraying the Virgin Mary. The chapel burned completely in 1660, and the icon was rescued by a member of the Draperis family. In case of total destruction because of fire, Ottoman law imposed the restitution of the land to the State.Mamboury (1953), p. 317 Because of that, in order to rebuild the church the friars should have first asked for a Sultan's

Firman A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...

allowing the reconstruction, but in absence of that the just rebuilt church was demolished in 1663 by the Ottoman government. The friars then abandoned the neighborhood and settled uphill 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 ...

, in a place named ''Dörtyol'' (four roads). They built there in 1678 a new church, which burned in 1697, was rebuilt and destroyed again by the strong earthquake of 1727. Erected once again, the edifice burned for the third time in 1767 and was finally rebuilt for the fifth time in 1769. After each catastrophe the icon of the Virgin could always be rescued, and embellishes still today the main altar. Together with

St. Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealthy ...

, also on Istiklal Caddesi, and SS. Peter and Paul in

, the church was one of the three Catholic

es in the Levantine quarter of Istanbul. During the 19th century S. Mary became one of the most prestigious Catholic Churches in the city. In 1803 its parish had a flock of 470

Levantines The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultura ...

, plus several Arab Catholics from

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and Armenian Catholics.Schmitt (2005) p. 108 The church is still officiated by reformed Franciscan friars who offer daily masses in Italian and mass in Spanish every Sunday. On March 25, 1911, the icon enshrined was pontifically crowned.

Architecture and interior

The complex has an entrance in

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

- embellished by a statue of the Virgin in a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

- on Istiklal Caddesi, which is followed by a flight of steps leading downhill to the church. The edifice has a rectangular plan and is covered by a barrel vault - decorated in 1874 - and has three naves. The church has a bell tower with square plan, not visible from the road. The imposing main altar, erected in 1772, is made of pink Carrara marble and is adorned with the Icon donated by Maria Draperis. The church is adorned with four paintings, three being of Venetian school. The first on the right side entering the church - painted in 1873 - represents the immaculate Virgin with two Franciscan saints. The second represents

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

receiving the

Stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

La Verna La Verna () is a locality on Mount Penna (), an isolated mountain of situated in the centre of the Tuscan Apennines, rising above the valley of the Casentino, central Italy. The place is known especially for its association with Saint Francis o ...

. To the left of the presbytery there is a painting representing the death of

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

assisted by Jesus and Mary, while another one near the entrance represent

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

, protector against plague, an illness which hit Istanbul several times in the past. The

Via Crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

, the statue of Saint Anthony and the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

in the

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

are all 1959 works of the Franciscan Father Alberto Farina. The two

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows on the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

are of German school and represent Saint Francis and

St. Clare of Assisi Chiara Offreduccio (16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253), known as Clare of Assisi (sometimes spelled ''Clara'', ''Clair'' or ''Claire''; ), is an Italian saint who was one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi. Inspired by the teachings of ...

. Inside the church, several inscribed gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries (most of them in Italian or Latin) remember wealthy Levantine families, church's benefactors, bishops and Consuls of the European nations in Constantinople.

Gallery

File:St Maria Draperis 1104.jpg, St Maria Draperis stairs to Istiklal Caddesi File:St Maria Draperis 1096.jpg, St Maria Draperis stairs from Istiklal Caddesi File:St Maria Draperis 6771.jpg, St Maria Draperis interior File:St Maria Draperis 6764.jpg, St Maria Draperis altar area File:St Maria Draperis 6767.jpg, St Maria Draperis ceiling in apse File:St Maria Draperis 1101.jpg, St Maria Draperis St. Francis of Assisi File:St Maria Draperis 1102.jpg, St Maria Draperis St. Clare of Assisi

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Draperis, Istanbul, Church of St. Beyoğlu Roman Catholic churches completed in 1678 Roman Catholic churches in Istanbul