Santa Maria Draperis Church
Changes After Construction:
- The church was rebuilt in 1769 after the fire of 1767.
- The barrel-vault covering of the church was decorated in 1874.
- A renovation/rearrangement dated 1904 was carried out on the building and its associated building group; the inscription at the entrance bears the date 1904 and the name G. Semprini.
Prominent Features:
- The church belongs to the Latin Catholic Church.
- The building is also known as the “Church of Our Lady of the Draperis.”
- The origin of the church community goes back to the first chapel established in 1584; it takes its name from Maria Draperis, the donor of that early period.
- It has been stated that the icon depicting the Virgin Mary in the church survived to the present day after being preserved during historical fires.
- At the entrance of the church, which is reached by descending stairs from İstiklal Avenue, there is a neoclassical arrangement with a statue of the Virgin Mary set within a niche.
- The building has a rectangular plan; it has a three-aisled interior arrangement and a square-planned bell tower not visible from the street.
- The main altar is dated 1772; it is stated that the icon donated by Maria Draperis is placed on the high altar made of pink Carrara marble.
