Changes After Construction
The first structure, thought to date from the Byzantine period, suffered major damage in the fires of 1600 and 1633.
During the reign of Sultan Mustafa III, the church was quickly rebuilt in wood by imperial decree; later, this wooden structure also burned down in a major fire.
The present masonry church with a wooden roof was built in 1837.
The building has been open for worship again since 6 December 1998.
Records dated 1538, 1576, and 1652 show that the church was visited in different periods and was mentioned together with fires and its holy spring.
Featured Highlights
The church belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul.
It is located on Abdülezel Paşa Avenue in Ayakapı, on the shore of the Golden Horn, and is considered one of the large churches of Istanbul.
The interior is described as having a vaulted arrangement supported by twelve large wooden columns resting on four walls; the upper covering is a tiled roof.
It has a masonry bell tower; according to legend, its large bell was presented by Tsar Nicholas of Russia, who bore the name of the saint.
The iconostasis, made entirely of marble and distinguished by its relief stonework, is one of the striking elements of the structure.
The church and its holy spring continued to be mentioned together in sources after the fires of 1600 and 1633.
It is recorded that Germanios, Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited this church during his visit to Istanbul in 1538.
