Agios Nikolaos Church (), is the former

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

located in the Kuruköprü area of the city of

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

. The church temporarily hosts the Provincial Public Library until library's return to its original location. Agios Nikolaos Greek Orthodox Church was built in 1845 by the Greek community of the city. Church was built according to three-domed basilica plan just like the other Greek churches in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. From exterior, the structure has a rectangular shape in east-west direction and from interior it has a three-domed basilica plan. The entrance to the church property is from a rectangular gate on the southwest. The symbol of sun on the triangle-shaped fronton on top of the gate, defines 'Entrance to Enlightenment'. The nine lined Greek inscription on the marble plate above the church door at the westside, dictates :

Bi abni huda rahim u rahman
Ba emri ali sultan Mahmut Han
Nikolas azize kelise rumiyan
İtti bina Spür kalfa kamilan
Antiokheias Methodios ruhban
Papazı u khyrsanthos çoban
Ukaffei milleti Hristiyan
Oldu bunda mahsus u şamizan
1845 Ocak 1

In English:

With the help of God the merciful, the beneficient and by the order of the supreme Sultan Mahmut Khan, Saint Nicholas church is built by the master-builder Spür from top to toe. Methodius of Antioch, Khrysantos the shepherd and the whole Christian community felt special and emotional with it.
1 January 1845

Agios Nikolaos Church was in service until 1921 and was abandoned after the departure of the community during the

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

Christian evacution. The church was converted into

Archaeology Museum An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological artifacts. Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum.David Watkin. ''The Roman Forum.'' Cambridge, Ma ...

in 1950. Archaeology Museum moved to a new location in 1972. In 1983, the church was occupied by the newly formed Ethnography Museum. The church is restored to its origin in 2015 and renamed Kuruköprü Monumental Church. Provincial Public Library temporarily moved into the building in 2023. The library will return to its original location after the earthquake damage is fully renovated.

References

See also