ISTANBUL
Crossroads of World Religions

Istanbul is the only city in Eurasia housing a large number of places of worship belonging to three major world religions.

Most Turks are Moslems. Mosques are the public buildings where Moslems worship. Istanbul's skyline is embellished with slender minarets and the imposing domes of more than 450 mosques, the symbol of the Moslem religion. No other city in the world can boast of so many mosques enhancing its beauty.

The Christian and Jewish communities in Turkey have been recognized since the conquest of Istanbul. They consist about the five percent of the population of Turkey and they have freedom of practicing their own religion in their appropriate churches or synagogues. The places of worship of major religions are all over Istanbul. Sometimes they are side by side as in Ortaköy, which is an obvious example of their peaceful coexistence.

In outline, the main church bodies, which have members resident in Istanbul, are these: The Eastern Orthodox (Greek Orthodox) Churches recognize the authority of the decisions taken in the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The Oriental Orthodox (Armenian and Syrian) Churches separated from the Eastern Orthodoxy after the Third council, which took place in Ephesus in 431. The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches include groups that united with Rome in the last 400 years. (the Armenian Catholic and Greek Catholic, for instance) and one group (Maronite) which considers that it never broke its communion with Rome. Some of the members of the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church in Istanbul are foreigners more or less permanently resident there; some few have distant family ties to the 12th century Crusaders.

There are at least 32 Armenian Orthodox churches in Istanbul, 16 Roman Catholic, 80 Greek Orthodox, 2 Bulgarian Orthodox and 4 Protestant in addition to Greek Catholic and Syrian Orthodox churches.

The Cathedral of St. Esprit in Elmadagi was built in 1846. This church since 1876 has been the seat of the Bishop of Istanbul. It is the second largest Roman Catholic Church in the city. Angelo Guissepe Roncalli was Papal Nuncio here during World War II before he became Pope John XXIII in 1958. Both Pope Paul VI (in 1965) and Pope John Paul II (in 1979) have officiated at masses observed here. The Church of St. Antoine in Galatasaray is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul. This handsome Italianate building was built in 1913. Other practicing Catholic churches are St. Louis de Francis in Beyoglu and the Church of the Assumption in Moda. Aya Triada in Taksim is an Orthodox church. The German Protestant Church is inb beypglu, as in the English Language Union Church; the Anglican St. Helena's Chapel is on the British Consulate grounds. Neve Shalom in Beyoglu and Ashkenazy in Karaköy are the two important synagogues of Istanbul. The chief Rabbinate of Turkey is located in Beyoglu as well. Istanbul also boasts of housing the two important Patriarchates: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Fener and the Armenian Patriarchate in Kumkapi.

Turkey offers a wide range of choice to the visitors who are interested in religion. They can see temples to ancient beliefs; they can visit and pray at places of worship of the major religions of the world. They can admire old places of worship, which were converted into museums.

Impressive Mosques of Anatolia

Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the conqueror of Constantinople, and his descendants ordered the construction of the most important mosques in Old Istanbul. The Fatih Mosque with its huge complex of theological study, worship, and social facilities is supposed to have been the first cultural center in Istanbul. After Fatih Sultan Mehmet, most of the Ottoman sultans built mosques in Istanbul either in their own names or in the memory of their mothers, fathers and children. The wealthy statesmen and leading citizens also followed the sultan's path to construct numerous small mosques and mescids (a very small mosque without minaret). This tradition explains Istanbul's great number of mosques and about 500 mescids. Those who built mosques were aware of the importance of maintenance; so all mosques have been looked after with the funds obtained from the foundations established for that purpose.

Non-Moslems are also permitted to enter mosques in turkey. Moslem women are expected to cover their heads and to wear long-sleeved garments; other women visitors comply this out of courtesy. However, everyone must remove his shoes before entering a mosque.

The mosques not only immortalize their architects but are also a treasury of the best examples of Turkish tiles, marble, woodwork, bronze work, stained glass windows and calligraphy. Inscriptions from the Holy Koran are always the essential decorative elements in the mosques.

The Ottoman Turks started at first to construct one-unit mosques -a square area topped by a dome and with one adjoining minaret, while the practice of constructing monumental mosques developed gradually in Iznik (ancient Nicea) and Bursa (the grandiose multi-domes). Ulu Cami (mosque) is one of the examples of this kind of mosque in Turkey and should not be missed when visiting Bursa. Edirne and Istanbul were the consecutive capitals of the Ottoman Empire. The multi-domed mosques with supporting pillars in these cities provided a wider prayer hall, and this type of construction is the continuation of what the Seljuks called Ulu Cami (great mosque).

The multi-unit mosques provided wider but not unlimited prayer halls. The ultimate aim of the Ottoman architects was to create a monumental interior space by limiting the number and size of the supporting elements, consequently reducing the number of the domes to a large central one. The Mosque of Üç Serefli in Edirne completed in 1473, with a central dome of about 2 yards in diameter, marked a great step forward.

It was only in the sixteenth century that the great Ottoman Turkish Architect Sinan created his mosque masterpieces. During his 50-year career, Sinan built 477 buildings, of which 73 are mosques. His genius is clearly demonstrated in the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul and in the Selimiye Mosque at Edirne was the one he reached the peak of his talent. That dome is some 35 yards in diameter. By placing the supporting pillars at the side of the walls, he created a great unity of space. The supporting semi-domes gradually reach the top, elevating the eye to the sky. The Selimiye Mosque, with its grandeur of height, matchless technique and elegance has a unique place in the Moslem world as well as in the history of world architecture. Sinan was one of the very few architects who could blend superior technique with beauty and elegance. Although the architects that came after him followed his pattern, no one has ever surpassed him.

Sinan's Süleymaniye Mosque, finished in 1551, dominates the western heights of the Golden Horn waterway across the Galata Bridge. To many, it reflects the majesty, power and glory of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Its huge dome has a soaring spaciousness as it rests on four massive columns. Its foundations go down to the shores of the Golden Horn. According to Evliya Çelebi, the famous Ottoman traveler, just the construction of the mosque's foundations took three years. When the mosque was finished, Architect Sinan assured the sultan that this monument would last forever.

Süleymaniye displays priceless treasures of sixteenth century Iznik tiles, elegant marble carvings, and stained glass windows. Sarhos Ibrahim made the stained glass, considered the best example of its kind. The calligraphy was written by Ahmet Karahisari, known as the best calligrapher of the ottoman period. Here also, the woodcarving and mother-of-pearl inlay work are considered to be remarkable examples of the art.

One of the most outstanding specimens of Islamic art in Istanbul is the Sultan Ahmet Camii, referred as the Blue Mosque (1616), where Sinan's artistic formulas were carried out by his students, Mehmet Aga who built a square shape with a huge dome supported by four massive fluted pillars. The light streaming through numerous windows is diffused the blue tiling of the interior wall - hence the name Blue Mosque. Much like a museum, beautiful tiles were used to cover the walls. The bronze doors, lace-like carved marble work, and the mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden doors are judged to be as beautiful and unusual as the famous tiles.

The Eyüb Sultan Mosque , on the northern edge of Istanbul, was the very first mosque built in 1458 after the conquest of Constantinople. It was named for Eyüb-El Ensari Halid ibn-i Zeyd, a companion of Prophet Mohammed and a flag bearer in the Arab army's second of 10 sieges made on Constantinople. Eyüb was killed in this attack and buried in the area given his name. By tradition each Ottoman sultan was girded here with the sword of Osman on his accession to the throne. People believed that Eyüb loved children, so parents bring them here to mark the important events in their lives; many people also come here to make wishes.

While visiting religious sites another place of interest is the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. The Pavilion of the Holy Mantle at the Topkapi Palace Museum treasures the Holy Mantle of the Prophet (Hirka-I Saadet) and other similar relics. The Pavilion has been open to the public since 1962.

Byzantine Churches of Importance in Istanbul

Two ancient religious monuments, which have been converted into museums, should be on top of the list of the sites to be visited: St. Sophia (Ayasofya Museum) and Church of St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Museum). Both have an important place in the history of Byzantine art.

The present building of St. Sophia is the third church on the site. The first church was built in the reign of Constantius, son of Constantine the Great. It was completed in 360 and dedicated to Haghia Sophia, the Divine Wisdom. It was destroyed by fire in 404 during a riot. The second church was built by Theodosius II, which was burned down during Nika Revolt in 532. Justinian the Great ordered the construction of the present church immediately after the fire; it was to be the patriarchal church of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was constructed under the supervision of the 6th century mathematical geniuses Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus.

St. Sophia was the largest church ever built in the Byzantine Empire; its dome is over 32.7 yards in diameter. St. Sophia is outstanding architecturally because its architects were able to build a large dome on top of a very large square. They engineered it so that the outward thrust of the dome is carried down to the four huge columns of the square room through the graceful sweep of the pendentives. Thus they created an uninterrupted covered space for religious ceremony and pageant, and in doing so influenced the science of architecture ever after.

At the height of the empire the building was richly decorated with gold, silver, ivory, silks, jewels and icons. Today only several mosaics on the upper gallery adorn the church.

Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, after the conquest of Constantinople, rode directly to St. Sophia and prayed there. He ordered it to be converted into a mosque. So great was Sultan Mehmet's regard for this church that he ordered it not to be defaced when he converted it into a mosque. The Sultan and his successors restored the building to its former greatness. Under the Turkish Republic its universal importance was recognized when it was declared a museum in 1935. A stately, majestic building, it has inspired respect for more than fourteen hundred years.

The word gem can truly be applied to St. Savior of Chora (known as the Kariye Museum), a little church, which is a glorious reminder of the Golden Age of Byzantine art.

The most astonishing thing about the mosaics in the Kariye Museum is that we are able to see them at all. Over the centuries, this building - first the Byzantine Chora Church and than a mosque-has been damaged by earthquakes, restored several times, left unattended and virtually derelict as a playground for small boys and a shelter for small animals. Ironically, it was the Islamic faith, which forbids representation of human figures, that was responsible for the preservation of these 13th and 14th century mosaic masterpieces in gold and glowing colors depicting biblical stories which have often been hailed as the greatest of Byzantine mosaics. When the church became a mosque after the Turkish conquest, the mosaics were covered with whitewash and this undoubtedly saved them.

Istanbul can be a little too rich a menu for the tourist who wants to see as much as possible. For those who seek relief from the grandeur of St. Sophia, the majesty of the great mosques and the richness of the Topkapi Palace treasures, the Kariye Museum is the place to go. The museum lies near the Edirne Gate behind the city walls. The energetic tourist can combine a walk along the walls with a visit to the church.

Just above the entrance door, there is a superb mosaic showing the figure of a man kneeling and presenting a model of the church to Christ. It was this man - Theodorus Metochites - who restored the church in the 14th century and who was responsible for its decoration. In the central room of the church the walls are covered with slabs of marble, which have a rich beauty of their own. While leaving the main worship area, look above the door to see the exquisite mosaic scene of the Virgin Mary's death. The rest of the church consists of an inner vestibule, an outer vestibule and a chapel in the form of a long hall addition to the church which is decorated with magnificent frescoes.

But it is the mosaics in the vestibules that are most famous. They should be seen walking along slowly to enjoy their expressiveness and delicate hues. Notice how different they are from the earlier Byzantine mosaics. They have a lightness of touch. A humanity that is often lacking in the rigid work of earlier artists. On both sides of the inner vestibule there are two domes. The blue one on the right shows Christ Pantocrator holding the Bible. His ancestors are shown in its 24 sections. The red dome, with 16 sections, shows the Virgin holding the Christ Child.

The whole story of Christ's life and that of the Virgin, is told fully as scene follows scene. The artist or artists -there is no record who they were-used tiny pieces of glass-covered colors to make the faces as expressive as possible.

The wall paintings in the side chapel have an interest all of their own. The chapel consists of two sections. The domed section is the 'land of death'; the section between the 'land of death' and the entrance is devoted to 'life'. The chapel walls are abundantly decorated with soldier saints. For the first time in the 14th century a group of naked human beings was depicted in a church.