St. Antoine Church

This temple once again confirms that Istanbul is one of the most tolerant cities in the world. Only one street, Istiklal, is full of consulates from dozens of countries and Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish temples. One of them, the Church of St. Antoine, is of great importance in the life of Istanbul. Here’s why.

Center of Turkish Catholicism

The church may be called so without exaggeration. Church of St. Antoine is the largest among Catholic temples in Istanbul, and, therefore, in Turkey. Therefore, it is considered the main church of Catholics in Istanbul. The service is held in many languages, even in Turkish. Catholic worship in Turkish is a very interesting and unusual thing!

Same age as the century

This church is rather young by the standards of Istanbul. For the city, staring with its blind walls at armada of Persians who were going to conquer Hellas, at squadrons of Rome floating to make war with Egypt, and at the last desperate battle with the defenders of Constantinople by Mehmet the Conqueror’s ferocious troops, one hundred years certainly does not mean anything important. However, a hundred is not quite true number. The fact is that two hundred years ago here was built amazingly beautiful and elegant St. Antoine chapel. As it often happens in Istanbul, they’ve decided to build a church on this place instead of the chapel, and it happened just before the outbreak of World War I, in which the Ottoman Empire had the misfortune to take the side of the defeated Germany. Beautiful red-brick church was built just in eight years.

Shelter for the dissenters

This is possible only in Istanbul, but the church of St. Antoine is a church not only for Catholics but for those whom the official Catholic Church considers heretics. They are the followers of Christianity Egyptian persuasion (the Copts) and the Maronites. But since they are the Christians and have no church, the Catholic clergy allowed them to perform their worship in the lateral branches of the church. Other parishioners gather in the main part of the temple, where the ceiling is painted in surprisingly beautiful murals depicting scenes from the Holy Scriptures. This temple is similar to the Orthodox Chora monastery, which is also a jewel of Istanbul.