Sent Antuan Catholic Church
Changes After Construction:
- After the demolition of the older church due to the new tramway line, a search began for a new site on the same street.
- On August 23, 1906, the foundation stone was laid; construction stopped for a time because of financial difficulties, then resumed, and the building was completed.
- The church was consecrated and opened for worship on February 15, 1912.
- In 1932, it was elevated to the status of a “basilica.”
- In 1949, an electronic organ was acquired and installed in the church.
- In 1967, Pope Paul VI officiated a liturgy here.
Prominent Features:
- The church belongs to the Latin Catholic Church.
- The building is also known as the “St. Anthony Basilica” and the “San Antonio Basilica.”
- It is in the Neo-Gothic style; the interior has a Latin cross plan.
- The building has a Romanesque crypt.
- The central nave is approximately 50 m long and 9.80 m wide from the apse to the main entrance; the side aisles are 4.70 m wide.
- The transept is approximately 29.20 m wide; the interior height is approximately 23 m.
- The apartment blocks on the İstiklal Avenue façade were conceived together with the church complex in order to provide income for the church.
- A. G. Roncalli, who was invited in 1932 and later became Pope John XXIII, preached here and presided over the Pontifical Mass.
