St. Anthony of Padua Church in Istanbul

I was quite pleased to come across the St. Anthony of Padua church while in Istanbul. I had seen it mentioned in guidebooks but did not plan on visiting, until I found myself right outside. Located on Istiklal Avenue, behind a large set of iron gates, it is an impressive building dating back to 1906. It also has the status of being the largest, fully functioning church in Istanbul.

The sudden decision to enter also led my ignorance to be put on display. I am very embarrassed to admit that I walked up to a statue and asked my two friends “who’s this bloke then?” Here is a picture of the statue. In my defence, the resemblance is glaring obvious now, but it was not at the time….

The Turkish Pope

After a lot of tutting and eyebrows rising in surprise, I was reliably informed that it was the Pope. Pope John XXIII to be exact and the significance to me was zilch, because I think all the popes look the same anyway. I was ready to discard this information as useless however; it later transpired that to the people, he was known as the “The Turkish pope.”

The Turkish pope preached at this church for ten years leading him to develop a love for Istanbul and the country of Turkey. He also mastered the extremely difficult task of being able to speak fluent Turkish. I hold my head in shame, as my level of Turkish, often makes people think I grew up in the gutter.

St. Anthony of Padua Church

Described as Venetian Neo-Gothic architecture, it is hard not to be impressed when you first walk in.

It transpires that the church along with others was built for 40,000 Roman Catholics who were living in Istanbul at the turn of the century. It was a replacement of the original St. Anthony of Padua Church, which had been demolished previously.

Out of respect for people praying, I was very hesitant to walk fully around the church. Also, it was great to view the interior, but the silence, religious works of art and life like statues made me feel uncomfortable. I have never felt at ease, in any religious place of worship and do not know why. I strongly suspect that in my past life, I was headed on a self-destructive path to the dark kingdom down below.

I do have one complaint though. As I walked out of the door, there was a tacky souvenir stand, selling miniature statues of Mary and Jesus.

Seriously, do people buy this stuff?

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Hi. I'm Natalie, a freelance travel blogger and writer specializing in the country of Turkey. I love hot summer days, historical sites and coffee.

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Comments

Majid says
at

Hi, It’s very nice. history of st. Anthony is very good. I love st. Anthony…
Nat says
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That must have just put that notice Stanilslava as it was allowed when I was there. Good to hear the souvenir seller has gone
Stanislava says
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Hello:) Cool photos, special inside of the building). I scared to take photos inside, since there was big screen before entrance, that it is forbidden((( Of course I took some photos secretly, but they are not so attractive like yours:)
And by the way I didnt see there any souvenirs. Maybe they closed their “small business”?))
Natalie says
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No entrance fee Eke but they do accept donations if you want to give. Donation box was inside the church.
Eke says
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Hello Natalie,

The church sounds very impressive!
We are planning on siting it when we go to Istanbul in March.
Do you know if there is an entrance fee?
Natalie says
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Thank you Denizhan
Denizhan Pekoz says
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I removed the post after I received your comment.
Natalie says
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Thanks for letting us know Denizhan. I left a comment on your blog as you are using my picture without my permission. I look forward to your reply.
Denizhan Pekoz says
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The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Istanbul will organize its annual Christmas concert on Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. in St. Anthony Church. The concert is free of charge.
Natalie says
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I was there about two years ago Pat and saw them as well. I don’t understand why there is the need for tack as I have seen some places that sell souvenirs well. I went to Miletos, and their souvenir shop was filled with books and magazines about the place. Educational stuff as well like Jigsaws for kids.
Pat Yale says
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Hi Nat, Was in Hacibekta? recently and you can’t imagine the tacky souvenirs on sale there too. We have our fair shape of unbelievable tack here in Cappadocia too.
Natalie says
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Glad to know I am not the only one Christy!! 🙂
Christy @ Technosyncratic says
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Ha, I wouldn’t have recognized that statue as the Turkish pope, either!
Natalie says
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Hi Ozlem, I suppose there is that aspect of it but it kind of downgraded the visit a little for me. To see special people from these religion portrayed in tacky statues out side, was disappointing. If they could of made the statues better and sold them in a different manner, I suppose it would not be so tacky.
Natalie says
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Apparently Johhny, he was not the pastor but he did preach at the church. Christmas mass must be awesome then, it is nice to see the church up and running but to achieve popularity at a special time of year is great
Natalie says
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Hi Tony, He did preach at the church though. Yes?
Tony Venegoni says
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Angelo Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, was made the Apostolic Delegate to Turkey in 1935. He was not the pastor of St. Anthony Church in Beyoglu. He was instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of Jews in the Balkans before and during WWII. As pope, he called the Second Vatican Council which made major reforms in the catholic Church. He was a brave and holy man, one of the great Popes.
Ozlem's Turkish Table says
at

That is an impressive church, glad you could get to see it. I know what you mean with the tacky souveniers, but for the people who can’t even dream of visiting places like that, it apparently means a lot. My surrogate mama lives in Austin Texas, and I got her an icon – I know, not very in the tacky department- from Ephesus. She was so moved by it ans I know will treasure it forever. I guess it is the emotional attachments we put on objects, perhaps make them meaningful- too much reflection for the morning, better grab a coffee and come back to the world!: )
Hobbittr says
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Natalie,

A good history lesson for me, I did not know about the Pope’s previous tenure…

I have visited the church several times, it is awesome and not to be missed. The first time was when one of my Turkish students (not a Catholic) from Robert College invited me to come to see the Christmas Eve Choir in which she was singing! Christmas mass and the Choir are evidently a big event for Turkish people and the church people now have to do “crowd control” so that worshippers who go there for services can get inside! Turks call it St Antoine
Natalie says
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Well, I get the feeling that I am not avoiding it in this life either Alan – Will see you there then! 🙂
Natalie says
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Duh – I was taking over the blondness from Debra! 🙂 If you find churches relaxing, you will love this one. Nothing short of impressive
Natalie says
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Hi Raul, That also shows why I love researching a destination or place so much. You learn a lot that enhances the visit. Also while most do not like guided tours, I am a sucker for them because of the info that the tour guide gives out
Natalie says
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The inside is definitely impressive Francesca, I bet more so like you say, at night. I was actually quite amazed to learn of the large Italian community living in Istanbul at the turn of the century. Along with Jews and other nationalities, it seems like a large mixture of cultures.
Alan says
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. . what’s wrong with the ‘Dark Kingdom down below’? Full of my sort of people! 🙂
Keep on truckin’ Natalie.
phil + Di marina gateway says
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Natalie how could you not no who the pope was ha ha that made me laugh
i always find the inside of a church relaxing theres something about the silence i find peaceful
and the inside of this one looks beautiful
Raul (ilivetotravel in Twitter) says
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Neat post and church! I didn’t see it when I went. I know who John XXIII is and he was one of the most important and transformative Popes in modern church history (as far as I can tell anyway). What I did NOT know was that he was pastor at a church in Istanbul! It goes to show how travel and experiencing other cultures helps people think beyond the box – he was a great example of that. Cheers!
Francesca says
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I’m Catholic and of Italian descent so it was important for me to see this church while in Istanbul. It is beautiful inside; we visited at night and the lighting made it even more dramatic.