The Church of Saint Ephrem will be the first in modern Turkey. The structure will have a bell tower that has five floors with rooms for ceremonies and meetings as well as rooms for guests, for a total cost of four million euros. The work follows the Syriac tradition but also responds to the demands of modernity.
Istanbul () – In two months, the first Syrian Orthodox church in modern Turkey will be inaugurated and open to the faithful for events and celebrations, whose construction began three years ago in the Yesilkoy neighborhood, in the European part of Istanbul. Sait Susin, president of the local chapter of the Syriac Kadim Foundation, confirmed the news and explained that the total cost of building the structure is around four million euros.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also present at the inauguration ceremony of the works of Saint Efrem (in the photo), in 2019. Susin explains that this place of worship is a novelty – as well as being unique – because some churches of the time Republicana have been restored or rehabilitated for use as temples, but none of them were “built from scratch.” Other places of worship, he adds in an interview with Anadolu Agency, “were built without official permits. In this case, for the first time a church is being built with all the regular permits and official documentation” and that “is a source of pride for us”.
The only Syrian Orthodox church was built in 1844 in the suburb of Tarlabasi, in the Beyoglu district, but it is not sufficient for the worship needs of the entire Assyrian community in Turkey’s economic and commercial metropolis. In recent years the faithful have been divided into six churches belonging to other congregations, but the latter did not fully satisfy the needs related to the rites and presented problems in terms of schedules. That is why a new church was needed, for practically exclusive use.
“We asked – continues Susin – our government to assign us a place” and preferably in the Bakirkoy district “where most of our community lives”. We received the go-ahead from then Prime Minister Erdogan and former Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas. The Assyrian leader also stressed that the church was built in accordance with the demands of modernity, but keeping as a base the examples of historical places of worship “of the Syriac tradition.”
The bell tower of the church, built on a 700 square meter plot, next to the Latin Catholic cemetery, is inspired by the historical monasteries of Mardin, in southeastern Turkey. The structure is made up of 5 floors and one of them is used as a cultural center for the community, which can gather after mass or ceremonies. On the ground floor there is the bishop’s house, guest rooms and a car park.
In Turkey there is freedom of worship; however, in the recent history of the country there have been several cases of violation of religious practice and bloodshed with a confessional background. Among these we recall the interference of the Turkish government in the election of Christian leaders, the assassination of prominent personalities – Father Andrea Santoro in 2006 and Bishop Luigi Padovese in 2010 – the seizures of churches and buildings and the controversial story of American pastor Andrew Brunson. In recent months there have also been cases of land disputes, desecration of cemeteries and expropriation of places of worship.
