St. John's Cathedral () is a cathedral in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

, Turkey. It is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of İzmir The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of İzmir () is a Latin archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Asian Turkey (Anatolia). The archdiocese's cathedral Mother Church, motherchurch and thus see of its archbishop is St. John's Cathedr ...

. The cathedral is dedicated to

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...

, who in the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

sent greetings and instructions to the

Seven churches of Asia The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and the Seven Churches of Asia, are seven churches of early Christianity mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation. All of them were located in Asia Min ...

, including

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

(İzmir).

History

The cornerstone of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

was laid in 1862. In 1863 the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

Abdülaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 1876 Ottoman coup d'état, overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother ...

, donated 11,000 gold

Turkish Lira The lira (; Currency sign, sign: Turkish lira sign, ₺; ISO 4217, ISO 4217 code: TRY; abbreviation: TL) is the official currency of Turkey. It is also legal tender in the ''de facto'' state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. One lira i ...

for the construction and Christians from

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

in France also contributed. The link with Lyon was due to missionaries from Smyrna introducing Christianity to Lyons in the second century. The building was finished in 1874, and dedicated on May 25, 1874, by Archbishop

Vincent Spaccapietra Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to Asia Minor. Prior to this time, a church which is now the parish church of Sancta Maria served as the

pro-Cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

for the diocese. In 1965 the then Archbishop of Smyrna, Joseph Emmanuel Descuffi, granted permission to NATO Military personnel, both Protestant and Catholic, and their dependents stationed in İzmir to use the cathedral for religious services.

Interior

The painting over the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

of the cathedral depicts St. John, with the

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

as his

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

symbol. He is pictured with pen and scroll writing his

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

. The painting is autographed by its artist, A. Von Kramer. The other pictures in the sanctuary area are (on right)

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

, and St. Athanasius; (on left St. Polycarp, 2nd-century Bishop of Smyrna and martyr for Christ) and St. John Chrysostom. One panel is blank because the original painting was destroyed by fire early in this century. Additional paintings in the cathedral are as follows: to the right of the main entrance -

St. Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, Congregation of the Mission, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitans, Occitan French Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving ...

giving

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

to children. The second painting on the right is St. Peter and

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. To the left of the main entrance, the first painting is of three early bishops of this area:

Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; ; died 108/140), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his Christian martyrs, martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This ...

(Antakya); Polycarp of Smyrna and

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

, priest of Smyrna, who went to Lyons in France and became bishop there. The background for the picture of these bishops is the artist's conception of what ancient

looked like.Irenaeus was the Bishop of Lyons who wrote that Polycarp of Smyrna was martyred near the Agora about the year 150 and that he had received his instruction in Christianity from the Apostles. The other picture is of

St. Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's na ...

, mother of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. Mounted over the inside of the cathedral entrance is a painting which depicts seven bishops of the seven churches of the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

. This painting, originally done for the Sacrament Chapel at Cigli Air Base, was brought to the cathedral in May 1970. About 30 feet from the floor on the left and right of the cathedral are small medallion portraits of three bishops and three popes who helped in the construction of the cathedral: (on right) Anthony Mussabini, bishop here 1838–1861,

1862–1878; and Andrew Timoni 1879–1904. (on left) The papal portraits are of

Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

1831–1846;

Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

1846–1878; and

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

1878–1903. Memorial tombs to Bishops Mussabini and Spaccapietra are located in the garden of the cathedral on the left and right respectively. They were carved by Carrara artists. As worshipers enter the cathedral grounds from Sehit Nevres Bulvari, they notice the initials D.O.M. above the main entrance on the facade of the cathedral. They are abbreviations for the Latin

Deo optimo maximo ''Deo optimo maximo'', often abbreviated D.O.M. or Deo Opt. Max., is a Latin phrase which means "to the greatest and best god", or "to God, most good, most great". It was originally used as a pagan formula addressed to Jupiter (mythology), Jupite ...

"To the honor of God, the best, the greatest." On the left of the main entrance is the dedicatory plaque for the building. Somewhat freely translated it says: This temple, (built) to honor St. John, Apostle and writer, (had) its cornerstone laid on 26 November 1862. Thanks (are given) for the generous offerings by (local) citizens and contributions by foreigners. Pope Pius IX, in the 27th year of his long pontificate granted it the high honor (of being) a Minor Basilica, and enriched it with the same indulgences as that of St. John Lateran Basilica (in Rome). He (also) donated the high altar, with its precious stones and metals. Vincent Spaccapietra, Vincentian priest, Archbishop of Smyrna and Victor Apostolic to Asia Minor and the Kingdom of Greece, dedicated it on 25 June 1874, the 27th anniversary of (his ordination to) the priesthood. (Present were) Lawrence Berceretti, Archbishop of Nazos: Fidelis Abate, Bishop of Santorino: John Marengo, Bishop of Tinos. The

Baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

, on the right of the main entrance, was not outfitted until 1916; as the dedicatory plaque tells. A local resident named John Moriconi was its donor. A priest by the name of Peter Longinotti was rector of the cathedral at this time. The side chapels of the cathedral are dedicated to St. Joseph (the present sacrament chapel) and to

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

. High above the sanctuary area, near the ceiling of the building, is a triangle with an eye in the center. The triangle is the symbol of the Blessed Trinity, and the eye represents the "All-seeing, all knowing wisdom of God."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. John's Cathedral Izmir Roman Catholic cathedrals in Turkey Roman Catholic churches in İzmir 1874 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Turkey

History

Interior

See also

References