Changes After Construction
The church was built in 1837 by imperial decree of Sultan Mahmud II, upon the request of Stefanos Karatheodori.
In 2013, a bust of Constantine Cavafy was placed in the church courtyard.
In 2017, the bust of the founder was unveiled as part of the events marking the 180th anniversary of its foundation.
Featured Highlights
The church belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul.
The structure is also known as the “Kumariotisa Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church.”
The name “Kumariotisa” is associated with the Komaron locality or with the kumaria (strawberry tree / arbutus) plant covering the hill.
The holy relics in the church show that there was an earlier church on the same hill in the 16th century.
It is known that Stefanos Karateodori, the patron of the church, provided support to the sultan through his views on the plague epidemic that affected the imperial capital.
On the western side of the structure are the graves of Stefanos Karateodori and his family.
