Hagia Triada ("Holy Trinity"; ; ) is a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

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 ...

, Turkey. The building was erected in 1880 and is considered the largest Greek Orthodox shrine in Istanbul today. It is still in use by the Greek community of Istanbul. It has about 150 parishioners. The church is located 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 ...

, in the neighborhood of ''Katip Çelebi'', on ''Meşelik sokak'', near

Taksim Square Taksim Square (, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of th ...

History

The property where the Church stands used to be the site of a Greek Orthodox cemetery and hospital. This was demolished in order to build the Church. Its construction, based on the designs of the

Ottoman Greek Ottoman Greeks (; ) were ethnic Greeks who lived in the Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), much of which is in modern Turkey. Ottoman Greeks were Greek Orthodox Christians who belonged to the Rum Millet (''Millet-i Rum''). They were concentrated in ...

architect P. Kampanaki, began on 13 August 1876 and was completed on 14 September 1880. The Church is built in

neo-baroque Neo-Baroque may refer to: * Neo-Baroque music * Neo-Baroque painting, a painting style used by Christo Coetzee and others *Baroque Revival architecture * Neo-Baroque film *the Organ reform movement The Organ Reform Movement or ''Orgelbewegung'' ...

style with elements of a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, and with the unusual features of twin bell towers, a large dome and a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

facade. The Hagia Triada was the first domed Christian church that was allowed to be built in Istanbul after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, 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-da ...

in 1453. Architectural elements such as the dome of the church were only allowed after 1839 during a period known as the ''

Tanzimat The (, , lit. 'Reorganization') was a period of liberal reforms in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Edict of Gülhane of 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. Driven by reformist statesmen such as Mustafa Reşid Pash ...

'' under which the restrictions limiting the

Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

for minorities were loosened and domes were allowed to be constructed as design features of Christian churches. The paintings and decorations of the church's interior are the work of painter Sakellarios Megaklis, while the marble works and designs were created by sculptor Alexandros Krikelis. On Church grounds there is also a school, Zapyon Rum Lisesi (

Zappeion The Zappeion (, ) is a large, palatial building next to the National Gardens of Athens in the heart of Athens, Greece. It is generally used for meetings and ceremonies, both official and private and is one of the city's most renowned modern land ...

Greek Lyceum), which continues to serve the Greek community of Istanbul. In the church courtyard there are additional buildings dedicated to

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

and also a sacred spring.

Damage and restoration

The Hagia Triada Church was damaged and set on fire during the

Istanbul pogrom 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 6–7 September 1955 by an organized mob attack directed primarily at Istanbul's Greek minority. During the unrest, the Church was wrecked and pillaged but withstood an attempted arson attack by the rioters. According to ethnic

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

actor

Nubar Terziyan Nubar Terziyan (; born Nubar Alyanak, 16 March 1908 – 14 January 1993) was a Turkish–Armenian actor. Biography Of Armenian descent, Nubar Terziyan was born in March 1909 in Istanbul. He went to Bezazyan Ermeni Lisesi (Bezazyan Armenian Lyc ...

, who witnessed the incident, the mob arrived at the Church and started the fire by dumping kerosene onto the Church and lighting it with burning sticks. Decades after the events, industrialist and businessman

Panagiotis Angelopoulos Panagiotis Angelopoulos (alternate spellings: Panayiotis, Aggelopoulos) (Greek: Παναγιώτης Αγγελόπουλος) is a Greek businessman who is involved in oil shipping and steel. He is the co-owner of the men's professional Greek ...

, who was given the titles Megas Archon Logothetes and Great Benefactor by the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed ...

, donated the sum of US$90,000 to

Patriarch Bartholomew Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...

; the funds were used for repairs and renovations of the church which lasted two years. The inauguration took place on 23 March 2003 and the official opening of the gate of the church was attended by many officials of the Greek Orthodox Church as well as the consuls general of Greece, France and Germany and hundreds of people from Istanbul and Greece. The inaugural speech was delivered by Patriarch Bartholomew. The church is now used on a daily basis.

Gallery

File:Hagia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church1.jpg, Dome of Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church File:Hagia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church_near_Taksim_Square.jpg, Dome of Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church File:Agia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church,_İstanbul-2.jpg File:Hagia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church.jpg File:Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church 6353.jpg, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church front File:Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church 6367.jpg, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church interior File:Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church 6363.jpg, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church iconostasis File:Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church 6377.jpg, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church balcony7 File:Istanbul_Hagia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church_from_garden_in_2014_6358.jpg, The door of the church File:Istanbul_Hagia_Triada_Greek_Orthodox_Church_from_garden_in_2014_6380.jpg, Details of the windows

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triada Greek Orthodox Church, Istanbul, Hagia Greek Orthodox churches in Istanbul Churches completed in 1880 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Buildings and structures in Beyoğlu Baroque Revival architecture in Turkey Byzantine Revival architecture in Turkey Greeks in Istanbul Church buildings with domes

History

Damage and restoration

Gallery

See also

References