Surp Nigoğayos Armenian Church
Changes After Construction:
- There is no verified information regarding by whom the building was commissioned in its first construction phase dated 1776.
- The reconstruction in 1834 was carried out during the patriarchate of Patriarch Isdepanos II Ağavni through the philanthropy of Canig Amira.
- The building was rebuilt in 1834 and opened for worship.
- After the earthquake, the roof tiles and the ceiling were renewed in 1838.
- After remaining neglected for a long time, it underwent a major restoration and was reopened for worship in 1946.
- The building underwent repairs in 1962, 1970, and 1982.
Prominent Features:
- The church belongs to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey.
- Among the churches in Istanbul, it is the only church whose Holy Altar is made of mother-of-pearl.
- The church’s iconostasis is made of mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell.
- There is a cemetery within the church complex.
- The researcher Yetvart Alyanakyan wrote that he saw two gravestones with inscriptions dated 1679 and 1691 in the cemetery.
