Changes After Construction
The official opening of the structure took place in 1886.
The stone dome collapsed in the 1894 earthquake.
After the earthquake, a wooden ceiling was made with materials brought from Austria.
Renovation and painting work on the structure was completed in 2024.
Featured Highlights
The church belongs to the Latin Catholic Church.
The structure is also known as St. Etienne Latin Catholic Church.
Church tradition accepts Saint Stephen as the first martyr of Christianity.
Church tradition states that the bones of Saint Stephen were brought from Palestine to Istanbul in the 4th century; it writes that while they were later being sent to Italy, they came ashore off present-day Yeşilköy because of a storm.
The same tradition states that a church dedicated to Saint Stephen was built at the point where the tent set up on the landing site had stood.
The church is administered by Franciscan Capuchin priests.
Services are held in Turkish and Italian in the church.
The three statues in front of the church were brought from France.
