St. Pierre Church

One of the world’s oldest Christian churches, located in a picturesque corner of Istanbul, keeps lots of remarkable historical mysteries...

History of the church

In fact, the church has much more complex and ambiguous history than it might seem. First, it was built in the rocks; this holy place was recognized a place of pilgrimage by Paul VI, but later they have erected a mosque here and relocated the Christian church. The new building was built in 1841 by Fossati brothers - Swiss-Italian architects, who became known after participating in restoration of Hagia Sophia.

Church of today

This church never ceases to amaze parishioners by its grandeur and beauty. The back of the church is built into the ancient Genoese city walls. The back yard keeps annexes and building of the monastery, built in Italian style as well as the church itself. On the street behind the church there could be seen the twin towers of Genoese walls. This beautiful church is built in the style of Basilica with quadripartite altar. Sky-blue dome, located on the choral scene, is decorated with gold leaf.
In the old days it was necessary to go through the courtyard for getting to the church, as by the Ottoman laws the facade could not face the street. All visitors had to ring the bell to get inside the church.

Mysteries of St. Pierre Church

As many legendary holy places of the city, St. Pierre Church in Istanbul hides lots of interesting things for anyone who had visited its ancient vault. For example, the main church relic is the icon of Virgin Mary, patroness of Byzantium, which is kept in a silver bowl.

Recently the main parishioners of the Church of St. Pierre were representatives of a small Maltese community in Istanbul, but today more and more visitors of the city visit this sacred place to get acquainted with one of the finest Christian holy places in Istanbul.