Virgin Mary Assyrian Church is the only church which was built by Assyrians in Istanbul. It was built on Karakurum Street in Beyoglu – Tarlabaşı district. According to the ancient Assyrian Church sources speak about the church site that had been bought by Assyrian community in the 19th century. In Armenian sources, there had been a church on that spot in the years between 1650 to 1780. There had been an ambiguity about the property right of the church at one time.
After all, the church was rebuilt on September 6th, 1863 and opened to service of believers of Armenian and Assyrian people as a common sanctuary. In 1870, the church had a big damage in the fire of Istanbul and had been extensively restored and renovated in 1878.
It is also known as Surp Asdvadzadzin that the present old building of the church was demolished in 1961 and it was rebuilt by Assyrian and was opened to service in a special ceremony 1961. It is seen a graceful example of stone workmanship of Mardin, a city located in the southeastern section of Turkey. Especially, heads of wreathed columns used in the church are also shown as the aesthetic examples of stone workmanship of Mardin city. In addition to the church building, there is an annex containing church school and administration section.
Mon, Jun 15, 2009
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