Private Getronagan Armenian High School

The building was constructed in masonry in 1871.
Due to the Great Galata Fire of 1874 and financial difficulties, it could only begin to be used for educational purposes in 1886.
As part of major road and square expansion works in the 1950s, the historic school and part of the adjacent Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Church were expropriated.
In 2008 and 2014, two floors of the adjacent Köşe Han were incorporated into the campus together with the historic structure, serving as teacher offices, social activity units, and laboratory spaces.

The school’s name derives from the word “Getronagan,” meaning “central” due to its location.
The historical roots of the school trace back to a classroom established in 1700 by Mıkhitar of Sivas, who served as a preacher in this church, and the Amenapırgiçyan School.
Adjacent to the historic building is Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Church, known as Istanbul’s oldest Armenian church.
Between 1917 and 1927, the school was allocated to serve populations displaced from Anatolia after the war.
Since 1937, the school has offered coeducational instruction and continues to operate as a high school today.
Notable alumni include renowned photographer Ara Güler and Silva Aynacıyan, the first Turkish woman to earn a PhD in geophysics.