Aya Nikola Greek Orthodox Church
Changes After Construction:
- The first structure, thought to date back to the Byzantine period, burned in 1600.
- During the reign of Mustafa III, the church was quickly rebuilt in wood with the sultan’s permission; later, this wooden structure also burned 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 December 6, 1998.
- Records dated 1538, 1576, and 1652 show that the church was visited in different periods and was mentioned together with fires and the holy spring.
Prominent Features:
- The church belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul.
- It stands at Ayakapı on the shore of the Golden Horn, on Abdülezel Paşa Avenue, and is counted among the large churches of Istanbul.
- The interior is described through a vault system carried by twelve large wooden columns resting on four walls; the upper covering takes the form of a tiled roof.
- There is a masonry bell tower; according to legend, its large bell was gifted by Tsar Nicholas of Russia, who bore the saint’s name.
- The iconostasis, made entirely of marble and distinguished by its relief stone craftsmanship, is one of the notable elements of the building.
- The church and its holy spring continued to be mentioned together in the sources after the fires of 1600 and 1633.
