Basilica of Saint Francis. Assisi, Italy Photo: Timothy A. Gonsalves. Open Source
kalenderhane mosque
(former church of theotokos kyrıotıssa)
Cecil L. Striker and Albrecht Berger, eds, Kalenderhane in Istanbul: Final Reports on the Archaeological Exploration and Restoration at Kalenderhane Camii 1966 - 1978. (von Zabern, 1997).It was arranged for the exhibition.
Kalenderhane Mosque, interior. Istanbul.
Kalenderhane Mosque, fresco. Mid-13th century. Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Source: www.thebyzantinelegacy.com
Saint Francis and another saint. Kalenderhane Mosque, fresco. Mid-13th century. Source: www.thebyzantinelegacy.com
Benozzo Gozzoli – Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis, 1452 The Saint's meeting with Sultan al-Kamil. Montefalco (Perugia, Italy), Church of San Francesco
Since 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis, regarded as one of the most important saints in Christianity, the Catholic Church has declared a special jubilee. For this reason, this exhibition has been prepared at the request of Monsignor Massimiliano Palinuro, Bishop and Apostolic Vicar of the Latin Catholic Church of Istanbul, with the support of Elena Clemente, Consul General of the Republic of Italy in Istanbul and of the Franciscan Friars of the Saint Anthony’s Church, under the curatorship of Prof. Paolo Girardelli from the Department of History at Boğaziçi University, and has been opened to the public of Istanbul.
orıgıns
orıgıns From Assisi to Istanbul
Franciscan presence in the East dates back to the very origins of the Order. Saint Francis himself is reported to have met in 1219, during the Fifth Crusade, Sultan Malik al-Kamil of Egypt in Damietta, crossing enemy lines to preach peace. In 1217, the Overseas (Ultramarine) Province was established to oversee the Order’s activities in the territories of the Eastern Roman Empire and throughout the East. In the early thirteenth century, Franciscan friars were present in Constantinople. A remarkable testament to this early period is found in the Kalenderhane Camii (formerly the church of Theotokos Kyriotissa). During the Latin occupation (1204–1261), Franciscans utilized a chapel within this complex, decorating it with the earliest known cycle of frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis, dated to the mid-13th century, shortly after his canonization. Fragments of these works, older than the more famous cycles of frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto in Assisi, where the Order was centered, are preserved today in Istanbul Archeological Museum.
Most visitors are familiar with the Church of Saint Anthony, a prominent landmark of Beyoğlu's cultural and religious life. But not many of them would know how old the Franciscan friars' establishment here is.
Source: www.italiamedievale.org
Map drawing by painter and author Ernest Mamboury, 1951.
Cristoforo Buondelmonti's depiction of Constantinople (c. 1450) Source: Marciana Library, Venice (Marc. lat. XIV, 25)
byzantıne and genoese perıod
13th - 14th CENTURY
14th - 15th CENTURY
map of galata – pera
Galata became a Genoese colonial settlement within walls built up over time. Trade gained strategic importance thanks to the port. During this period, Galata became a significant part of the Mediterranean trade network and, as settlers of diverse origins arrived over the years, it took on a cosmopolitan character.
This map shows the gradual development of the walls of Galata / Pera between 1303 and 1453. The Spanish traveller Ruy de Clavijo visited Istanbul in 1403 on his way to Samarkand and recorded the following impression: "This city of Constantinople contains many great churches and monasteries, but most of them are in ruins. (…) Pera is a small city, but densely populated and surrounded by walls. It contains fine and imposing houses. Here live Genoese and Greeks. The Genoese call this settlement 'Pera', but the Greeks call it 'Galata'. In Pera there are two very fine convents, one dedicated to Saint Paul (San Paolo, Dominican), the other to Saint Francis (San Francesco, Franciscan). The convent of Saint Francis is richly adorned and contains various holy relics."
Galata Tower, 1853–1857, James Robertson (1813–1888), Getty Research Institute.
Miniature drawing by Matrakçı Nasuh (c. 1537) Source: Nasûhü's-Silâhî (Matrakçî) (2014). Beyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i Irâkeyn-i Sultan Süleyman Han. (Yurdaydın H. G., ed.). Ankara: TTK.
15th - 18th CENTURY
ottoman perıod
an ottoman depıctıon
galata accordıng to evlıya çelebi
On the Galata Tower: "The Galata Tower, rebuilt by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, rises to a height of one hundred and eighteen architect's cubits, towering up towards the heavens; its very topmost peak is clad in pure lead. (…) On a clear day, Mount Keşiş (Uludağ), which blocks the view towards Bursa, can be plainly seen with the naked eye; indeed, with a spyglass all the buildings of Bursa can be made out distinctly." On the Church of San Francesco: "it has a square bell tower that towers up towards the heavens; both inside and outside there are such wondrous and strange depictions that they seem as if alive."
Galata became a cosmopolitan centre under Ottoman rule, where trade and crafts revived and people of different nations lived side by side. Over time, while the population predominantly consisted of Greeks, Jews, Armenians, and Muslims, the Latin-origin population began to decline. In the Ottoman period, 'Galata' became the name given to the settlement within the former Genoese walls. 'Pera', meanwhile, came to refer to the urban area around today's İstiklal Avenue (formerly the 'Grande Rue de Péra'), located on the hills outside Galata's walls.
After Constantinople became once again the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1261, the Latin Catholics concentrated in Galata, the Genoese colony located on the opposite shore of the Golden Horn. The area became an important center of Catholicism without excluding other religious denominations. In the fifteenth century, the illustrations in Cristoforo Buondelmonti’s Liber Insularum attest to the presence of Franciscan and Dominican churches there. In 1403, Ruy González de Clavijo described Genoese Galata as a more prosperous and lively settlement than the imperial capital across the water.
galata and pera
from byzantıum to the ottomans
After the Ottoman conquest of 1453, the Galata Ahidnâme granted by Mehmed II guaranteed the Latins the protection of their religious and property rights. In the sixteenth century, new Catholic institutions emerged in Galata. The church of Santa Maria Draperis, entrusted to the Franciscan Observants, was founded in 1584, marking an important development in the consolidation of the Latin community. The Capuchin Franciscans first arrived in Constantinople in 1587, but only in the seventeenth century, under French diplomatic protection, did they initiate a stable and permanent mission.
Church of San Francesco, Archivio Propaganda Fide, S. R. 163
church of san francesco and complex
French map of 1784. It shows the old (Venice, France) and new (Russia, Sweden, Naples, Holland, Habsburg Empire) embassy buildings in the vicinity of Pera and İstiklal Avenue. The Church of Saint Antoine is under the patronage of the French Embassy and is located on land belonging to the French Palace.
The old Church of Saint Anthony, highlighted in red, on the Grande Rue. (1724–1930s). Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum. Source: Girardelli, P. (2010). Between Rome and Istanbul: Architecture and Material Culture of a Franciscan Convent in the Ottoman Capital. Mediterranean Studies, 19, 162-188.
Analysis organized using maps by D’Ostoya (1858) and Mamboury (1951).
A plan drawn in 1769 showing how the Church of Saint Anthony was used by the faithful. The central nave (M) and the gallery opposite the altar (L) were used by Armenian men and women respectively; the altar of Saint Gregory the Illuminator (D) reflects the importance accorded to the Armenian community. The gallery on the left (F) was reserved for ‘Frank’ women on the ground floor and for Franciscan friars on the upper floor. The gallery on the right (H) served ‘Frank’ men and dignitaries on the ground floor and the French ambassador on the upper floor.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, GE SH 18 PF 98 BIS DIV 7 P 1. (Source: www.gallica.bnf.fr)
The 17th and 18th centurıes
The seventeenth century was a period of dramatic change for the Franciscans serving at the Church of Saint Francis in Galata. The friars provided spiritual care not only to their congregation but also to Christian captives in prisons at the arsenal. However, the fires of 1639 and 1660 severely damaged the complex, and the final blow came after the fire of 1696. The Ottoman authorities allocated the site of the Church of Saint Francis and the adjacent Church of Saint Anne for the construction of the Yeni Valide Mosque. This loss was a serious blow to the Latins’ long-established presence in Galata.
From Galata to Pera
Bishop Mauri, on 27 March 1725, with the agreement of the ambassadors of France and Venice and the representatives of other Catholic states, defined the boundaries of the three Catholic parishes in Constantinople. According to this arrangement, all Catholics residing within the walls — that is, throughout Galata — were placed under the administration of the Dominican friars of the Parish of Santi Pietro e Paolo, while all those residing in the two parish districts of Pera were placed under the administration of the Franciscans of the Church of Saint Anthony and the Church of Santa Maria Draperis.
Subsequently, some Catholic institutions moved to the heights of Pera, which was developing as a new cosmopolitan district around the embassies and consulates of foreign powers. In 1724, the Franciscan Conventuals, protected by the French ambassador, founded a new, modest church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan himself, whose worship had reached popularity among the Catholics and other confessional groups - hence the shift in the dedication. The Observants also transferred Santa Maria Draperis to the hills of Pera around 1700, contributing to the consolidation of the area as a new center of Catholic/Latin presence.
pera and beyond
After the fire of 1767, Santa Maria Draperis was rebuilt in 1769, giving it largely the appearance it retains today. Protected by the Habsburgs and supported by prominent Levantine families of Pera, the church combined European stylistic elements with Ottoman Baroque details, visible in some architectural features of the convent. A revered icon of the Virgin Mary, which had survived earlier fires, was preserved here, and still marks the high altar of the church. Santa Maria is one of the three parish centers of the city, along with the nearby Saint Anthony and the Dominican church of Ss. Peter and Paul, which remained within the Genoese walls of Galata. In 1904, the addition of an apartment building facing İstiklal Avenue gave to the complex the appearance it has today.
other francıscan ınstıtutıons
The Capuchins settled permanently in Galata in the 1620s, first serving as chaplains to the French Embassy at St. Louis Church in Pera. They later expanded to Ayastefanos (today's Yeşilköy), establishing a church and a seminary. In the late nineteenth century, they founded the Church of Saint Anthony in Bayraklı (İzmir), a seminary in Buca, and new churches in various cities with significant Levantine populations.
Manuscript by Father Andrea Felici da Jenne, recounting the history of the Franciscan community of Santa Maria Draperis and other Latin institutions in Istanbul.
Source: Franciscan Minori archive, Florence.
other francıscan ınstıtutıons ın pera
church of santa marıa draperıs
church of saınt louıs
other francıscan ınstıtutıons ın ıstanbul
church of yeşilköy santo stefano (1866)
The map below shows the location of the new Catholic churches along the Grande Rue. These churches generally have a façade directly visible from the main street. In contrast, the Greek Orthodox church of Panaghia (1804) does not face İstiklal Avenue. Right: Places of worship and community centres belonging to the 3 main Franciscan orders established throughout the 19th century: Capuchins (Yeşilköy), Friars Minor Observant (Büyükada), Friars Minor Conventual (Büyükdere).
büyükdere church of santa marıa (1866)
church of büyükada san pacıfıco (1885)
from the old church to the new church
Consecrated in 1724 and rebuilt in masonry after the fire of 1762, the Church of Saint Anthony became a true intercommunal center. It served not only the Levantine “Frankish” Catholics but also the growing number of Armenian Catholics who lacked their own recognized church until 1830. Inside, the church even displayed an altar dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, father and patron of the Armenian nation. The fame of Saint Anthony of Padua as a miracle worker attracted even non-Christians who came to pray there. The building was destroyed in the Great Fire of Pera in 1831, and was rebuilt to the design of Nicola Carelli in 1835, so that it could continue its multiethnic mission.
Change of scale
By the early twentieth century, it had become insufficient for a community that reached 40,000 faithful. Father Giuseppe Caneve launched the project for a monumental new basilica. Conceived during the rise of Italian national consciousness, it was intended as a national Italian church and a symbol of the Italian presence in the East. Following complex negotiations, the protection of the Franciscans in the Ottoman Empire began to shift from France to Italy in 1905. Father Giuseppe Caneve, backed by the Italian Missionary Association (ANSMI), purchased the Concordia Theatre and around fifty surrounding properties. After demolitions and digging of foundations, in 1906 the construction of the apartment buildings on the street front of the Grande Rue de Pera (Cadde-i Kebir) began. The apartments provided revenues for the immense investment in the new church, the red-brick basilica built here according to Giulio Mongeri’s and Edoardo de Nari's Venetian Neo-Gothic design, still standing as a lasting mark on Pera’s skyline.
orıgını
Poiché il 2026 segna l’800° anniversario della morte di San Francesco, considerato uno dei santi più importanti del cristianesimo, la Chiesa Cattolica ha proclamato uno speciale giubileo. Per questa ragione, la presente mostra è stata realizzata su richiesta di Monsignor Massimiliano Palinuro, Vescovo e Vicario Apostolico della Chiesa Cattolica Latina di Istanbul, con il sostegno di Elena Clemente, Console Generale della Repubblica Italiana a Istanbul, e dei Frati Francescani della Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, sotto la curatela del Prof. Paolo Girardelli del Dipartimento di Storia dell’Università di Boğaziçi, ed è stata aperta al pubblico di Istanbul.
da assisi a ıstanbul
La presenza francescana in Oriente risale alle origini stesse dell’Ordine. Si narra che San Francesco stesso, nel 1219, durante la Quinta Crociata, abbia incontrato a Damietta il sultano d’Egitto Malik al-Kamil, attraversando le linee nemiche per predicare la pace. Nel 1217 fu istituita la Provincia d’Oltremare, o Ultramarina, per sovrintendere alle attività dell’Ordine nei territori dell’Impero Romano d’Oriente e in tutto l’Oriente. Nei primi decenni del XIII secolo, i frati francescani erano presenti a Costantinopoli.
Una testimonianza straordinaria di questo primo periodo si trova nella Kalenderhane Camii, l’ex chiesa della Theotokos Kyriotissa. Durante l’occupazione latina, tra il 1204 e il 1261, i francescani utilizzarono una cappella all’interno di questo complesso decorandola con il più antico ciclo di affreschi conosciuto sulla vita di San Francesco, datato alla metà del XIII secolo, poco dopo la sua canonizzazione. Frammenti di queste opere, più antichi dei più celebri cicli di affreschi di Cimabue e Giotto ad Assisi, dove l’Ordine aveva il suo centro, sono oggi conservati nel Museo Archeologico di Istanbul.
La maggior parte dei visitatori conosce la Chiesa di Sant'Antonio, importante punto di riferimento della vita culturale e religiosa di Beyoğlu, ma pochi sanno quanto antica sia la presenza dei frati francescani in questo luogo.
Benozzo Gozzoli – Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis, 1452 The Saint's meeting with Sultan al-Kamil. Montefalco (Perugia, Italy), Church of San Francesco
Kalenderhane Mosque, interior. Istanbul.
Kalenderhane Mosque, fresco. Mid-13th century. Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Source: www.thebyzantinelegacy.com
Saint Francis and another saint. Kalenderhane Mosque, fresco. Mid-13th century. Source: www.thebyzantinelegacy.com
Cecil L. Striker and Albrecht Berger, eds, Kalenderhane in Istanbul: Final Reports on the Archaeological Exploration and Restoration at Kalenderhane Camii 1966 - 1978. (von Zabern, 1997).It was arranged for the exhibition.
Basilica of Saint Francis. Assisi, Italy Photo: Timothy A. Gonsalves. Open Source
kalenderhane mosque
(former church of theotokos kyrıotıssa)
galata e pera
Dopo che Costantinopoli tornò a essere la capitale dell'Impero Romano d'Oriente nel 1261, i cattolici latini si concentrarono a Galata, la colonia genovese situata sulla sponda opposta del Corno d’Oro. La zona divenne un importante centro del cattolicesimo, senza escludere le altre confessioni religiose. Nel XV secolo, le raffigurazioni presenti nel Liber Insularum di Cristoforo Buondelmonti attestano la presenza di chiese francescane e domenicane. Nel 1403, Ruy González de Clavijo descrisse la Galata genovese come un insediamento più prospero e vivace della capitale imperiale situata dall’altra parte dell’acqua.
da bisanzio agli ottomani
Dopo la conquista ottomana del 1453, l’Ahidnâme di Galata concesso da Mehmed II garantì ai Latini la tutela dei loro diritti religiosi e di proprietà. Nel XVI secolo emersero a Galata nuove istituzioni cattoliche. La chiesa di Santa Maria Draperis, affidata ai Francescani Osservanti, fu fondata nel 1584, segnando un momento significativo nel consolidamento della comunità latina. Sebbene i Francescani Cappuccini fossero giunti a Costantinopoli già nel 1587, solo nel XVII secolo, sotto la protezione diplomatica francese, riuscirono a stabilire una missione stabile e permanente.
Miniature drawing by Matrakçı Nasuh (c. 1537) Source: Nasûhü's-Silâhî (Matrakçî) (2014). Beyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i Irâkeyn-i Sultan Süleyman Han. (Yurdaydın H. G., ed.). Ankara: TTK.
This map shows the gradual development of the walls of Galata / Pera between 1303 and 1453. The Spanish traveller Ruy de Clavijo visited Istanbul in 1403 on his way to Samarkand and recorded the following impression: "This city of Constantinople contains many great churches and monasteries, but most of them are in ruins. (…) Pera is a small city, but densely populated and surrounded by walls. It contains fine and imposing houses. Here live Genoese and Greeks. The Genoese call this settlement 'Pera', but the Greeks call it 'Galata'. In Pera there are two very fine convents, one dedicated to Saint Paul (San Paolo, Dominican), the other to Saint Francis (San Francesco, Franciscan). The convent of Saint Francis is richly adorned and contains various holy relics."
Map drawing by painter and author Ernest Mamboury, 1951.
Cristoforo Buondelmonti's depiction of Constantinople (c. 1450) Source: Marciana Library, Venice (Marc. lat. XIV, 25)
byzantıne and genoese perıod
13th - 14th CENTURY
14th - 15th CENTURY
map of galata – pera
Galata became a Genoese colonial settlement within walls built up over time. Trade gained strategic importance thanks to the port. During this period, Galata became a significant part of the Mediterranean trade network and, as settlers of diverse origins arrived over the years, it took on a cosmopolitan character.
Galata Tower, 1853–1857, James Robertson (1813–1888), Getty Research Institute.
15th - 18th CENTURY
ottoman perıod
an ottoman depıctıon
galata accordıng to evlıya çelebi
On the Galata Tower: "The Galata Tower, rebuilt by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, rises to a height of one hundred and eighteen architect's cubits, towering up towards the heavens; its very topmost peak is clad in pure lead. (…) On a clear day, Mount Keşiş (Uludağ), which blocks the view towards Bursa, can be plainly seen with the naked eye; indeed, with a spyglass all the buildings of Bursa can be made out distinctly." On the Church of San Francesco: "it has a square bell tower that towers up towards the heavens; both inside and outside there are such wondrous and strange depictions that they seem as if alive."
Galata became a cosmopolitan centre under Ottoman rule, where trade and crafts revived and people of different nations lived side by side. Over time, while the population predominantly consisted of Greeks, Jews, Armenians, and Muslims, the Latin-origin population began to decline. In the Ottoman period, 'Galata' became the name given to the settlement within the former Genoese walls. 'Pera', meanwhile, came to refer to the urban area around today's İstiklal Avenue (formerly the 'Grande Rue de Péra'), located on the hills outside Galata's walls.
Bishop Mauri, on 27 March 1725, with the agreement of the ambassadors of France and Venice and the representatives of other Catholic states, defined the boundaries of the three Catholic parishes in Constantinople. According to this arrangement, all Catholics residing within the walls — that is, throughout Galata — were placed under the administration of the Dominican friars of the Parish of Santi Pietro e Paolo, while all those residing in the two parish districts of Pera were placed under the administration of the Franciscans of the Church of Saint Anthony and the Church of Santa Maria Draperis.
In seguito, alcune istituzioni cattoliche si trasferirono sulle alture di Pera, che si stava sviluppando come nuovo quartiere cosmopolita attorno alle ambasciate e ai consolati delle potenze straniere. Nel 1724 i Francescani Conventuali, protetti dall’ambasciatore francese, fondarono una nuova e modesta chiesa dedicata a Sant’Antonio da Padova, egli stesso francescano, il cui culto aveva raggiunto grande popolarità tra i cattolici e altri gruppi confessionali; da qui il cambiamento dell’intitolazione. Anche gli Osservanti trasferirono Santa Maria Draperis sulle colline di Pera intorno al 1700, contribuendo al consolidamento dell’area come nuovo centro della presenza cattolica/latina.
Il Vescovo Mauri, il 27 marzo 1725, con il consenso degli ambasciatori di Francia e Venezia e dei rappresentanti degli altri stati cattolici, stabilì i confini delle tre parrocchie cattoliche di Costantinopoli. In base a questo accordo, tutti i cattolici residenti entro le mura — cioè in tutta Galata — furono affidati all'amministrazione dei frati domenicani della Parrocchia dei Santi Pietro e Paolo, mentre tutti coloro che risiedevano nei due distretti parrocchiali di Pera furono affidati all'amministrazione dei Francescani della Chiesa di Sant'Antonio e della Chiesa di Santa Maria Draperis.
Il XVII secolo fu un periodo di profondi cambiamenti per i Francescani che officiavano nella chiesa di San Francesco a Galata. I frati offrivano assistenza spirituale non solo alla loro comunità, ma anche ai prigionieri cristiani nelle carceri dell’arsenale. Tuttavia, gli incendi del 1639 e del 1660 danneggiarono gravemente il complesso, e il colpo finale giunse dopo l’incendio del 1696. Le autorità ottomane destinarono l’area della chiesa di San Francesco e della vicina chiesa di Sant’Anna alla costruzione della Moschea Yeni Valide. Questa perdita rappresentò un duro colpo per la presenza ormai radicata dei Latini a Galata.
da galata a pera
ı secoli XVII e XVIII
Church of San Francesco, Archivio Propaganda Fide, S. R. 163
church of san francesco and complex
French map of 1784. It shows the old (Venice, France) and new (Russia, Sweden, Naples, Holland, Habsburg Empire) embassy buildings in the vicinity of Pera and İstiklal Avenue. The Church of Saint Antoine is under the patronage of the French Embassy and is located on land belonging to the French Palace.
The old Church of Saint Anthony, highlighted in red, on the Grande Rue. (1724–1930s). Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum. Source: Girardelli, P. (2010). Between Rome and Istanbul: Architecture and Material Culture of a Franciscan Convent in the Ottoman Capital. Mediterranean Studies, 19, 162-188.
Analysis organized using maps by D’Ostoya (1858) and Mamboury (1951).
A plan drawn in 1769 showing how the Church of Saint Anthony was used by the faithful. The central nave (M) and the gallery opposite the altar (L) were used by Armenian men and women respectively; the altar of Saint Gregory the Illuminator (D) reflects the importance accorded to the Armenian community. The gallery on the left (F) was reserved for ‘Frank’ women on the ground floor and for Franciscan friars on the upper floor. The gallery on the right (H) served ‘Frank’ men and dignitaries on the ground floor and the French ambassador on the upper floor.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, GE SH 18 PF 98 BIS DIV 7 P 1. (Source: www.gallica.bnf.fr)
Manoscritto di Padre Andrea Felici da Jenne, che narra la storia della comunità francescana di Santa Maria Draperis e delle altre istituzioni latine a Istanbul. Fonte: Archivio dei Francescani Minori, Firenze.
I Cappuccini si stabilirono definitivamente a Galata negli anni Venti del Seicento, servendo inizialmente come cappellani dell’Ambasciata di Francia presso la chiesa di San Luigi a Pera. In seguito estesero la loro presenza ad Ayastefanos, l’odierna Yeşilköy, dove fondarono una chiesa e un seminario. Alla fine del XIX secolo istituirono la chiesa di Sant’Antonio a Bayraklı, Smirne, un seminario a Buca e nuove chiese in diverse città con una significativa presenza levantina.
Dopo l’incendio del 1767, Santa Maria Draperis fu ricostruita nel 1769, assumendo in gran parte l’aspetto che conserva ancora oggi. Protetta dagli Asburgo e sostenuta da importanti famiglie levantine di Pera, la chiesa unì elementi stilistici europei a dettagli del Barocco ottomano, visibili in alcuni elementi architettonici del convento. Vi era custodita una venerata icona della Vergine Maria, sopravvissuta ai precedenti incendi, che ancora oggi segna l’altare maggiore della chiesa. Santa Maria è uno dei tre centri parrocchiali della città, insieme alla vicina chiesa di Sant’Antonio e alla chiesa domenicana dei Santi Pietro e Paolo, rimasta entro le mura genovesi di Galata. Nel 1904, l’aggiunta di un edificio affacciato su İstiklal Caddesi [veya: sull'Avenue İstiklal] conferì al complesso l’aspetto che conserva oggi.
Altre Istituzioni Francescane
Pera e oltre
chiesa di santa louıs
chiesa di santa maria draperıs
altre istituzioni francescane a pera
La carta sottostante mostra la posizione delle nuove chiese cattoliche lungo la Grande Rue. These chiese hanno generalmente una facciata direttamente visibile dalla strada principale. Al contrario, la chiesa greco-ortodossa della Panaghia (1804) non si affaccia sull'Avenue İstiklal.
A destra: Luoghi di culto e sedi comunitarie appartenenti ai 3 principali ordini francescani fondati nel corso del XIX secolo: Cappuccini (Yeşilköy), Minori Osservanti (Büyükada), Minori Conventuali (Büyükdere).
church of büyükada san pacıfıco (1885)
büyükdere chiesa di santa marıa (1866)
chiesa di yeşilköy santo stefano (1866)
Altre istituzioni francescane a Istanbul
All’inizio del XX secolo, la chiesa risultò insufficiente per una comunità che aveva raggiunto i 40.000 fedeli. Padre Giuseppe Caneve avviò allora il progetto di una nuova basilica monumentale. Ideata nel clima dell’ascesa della coscienza nazionale italiana, essa era concepita come chiesa nazionale italiana e come simbolo della presenza italiana in Oriente. A seguito di complesse trattative, la protezione dei Francescani nell’Impero Ottomano cominciò a passare dalla Francia all’Italia nel 1905. Padre Caneve, sostenuto dall’Associazione Nazionale per Soccorrere i Missionari Italiani, ANSMI, acquistò il Teatro Concordia e circa cinquanta proprietà circostanti. Dopo le demolizioni e lo scavo delle fondazioni, nel 1906 iniziò la costruzione degli edifici ad appartamenti sul fronte stradale della Grande Rue de Pera (Cadde-i Kebir). Gli appartamenti fornivano le entrate necessarie all’immenso investimento nella nuova chiesa; la basilica in mattoni rossi, costruita qui secondo il progetto neogotico veneziano di Giulio Mongeri ed Edoardo de Nari, che ancora oggi si staglia come un segno duraturo nello skyline di Pera.
Consacrata nel 1724 e ricostruita in muratura dopo l’incendio del 1762, la chiesa di Sant’Antonio divenne un vero centro intercomunitario. Serviva non solo i cattolici levantini “franchi”, ma anche il crescente numero di armeni cattolici che, fino al 1830, erano privi di una propria chiesa riconosciuta. Al suo interno vi era persino un altare dedicato a San Gregorio l’Illuminatore, padre e patrono della nazione armena. La fama di Sant’Antonio da Padova come taumaturgo attirava anche non cristiani, che vi si recavano per pregare. L’edificio fu tuttavia distrutto nel Grande Incendio di Pera del 1831 e ricostruito nel 1835 su progetto di Nicola Carelli, affinché potesse proseguire la sua missione multietnica.