Surp Hreşdagabed Armenian Church

A Greek church named Ayia Strati, dating back to the 9th century, stood on the site of the present building; the site was transferred to the Armenian community in 1627 by a decree of Murad IV.
It was repaired in 1628 and, after consecration, opened for worship.
It suffered major damage in the fire of 1692 and was completely destroyed in the great Balat fire of 1729.
It was rebuilt in wood in 1730; later, in 1831, it was reconstructed in masonry by decree of Mahmud II, and in 1835 it was consecrated by Patriarch Stepanos III and opened for worship.
The building underwent extensive restoration in 2005 and 2012.

The church belongs to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey.
The name Surp Hıreşdagabed is used with the meaning “Holy Archangel”; the church belongs to the Armenian Apostolic tradition.
The church complex consists of units such as two chapels, a holy spring, a baptistery, a storage building, and a school building in ruins.
The main church building has a three-nave basilical plan; it has cut-stone walls and a pitched roof.
On the east there is a large bema apse and two small side apses, while on the west there is a wide three-part narthex; above the narthex is a gallery floor reserved for the choir.
It is stated that during the 2006 repair in the holy spring in the basement, bones attributed to Saint Artemios and Saint Peprone were reached, and these began to be displayed in a reliquary.
The iron gate providing passage to the corridor descending from the main space to the holy spring draws attention with its relief panels dated 727; it is recorded that these panels were found during excavations at Topkapı Palace in 1742, turned into a gate, and added to the church.