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Saint Antoine: The Greatest Catholic Church in Istanbul

The wanderer from different religions or sects came to Istabul wondering about the Saint Antoine Church, which had not a very flamboyant entrance. Now that we have briefly reviewed the history of the church, and then let's examine its architectural features.


The Location of Saint Antoine Church




Saint Antoine Church is located on Istiklal street in Beyoğlu, on the left side of Galatasaray High School's road to Tunnel. At the beginning of the 1230's the priests built their church in the name of St. Francis of Assisi. This architectural masterpiece was recognized as the Hagia Sophia of the Latin at that time. In the 1300s, the priests, who were removed from the first churches of the Greek part, joined their brothers in St. Francis in Galata. The Church of St. Francis, who fled twice in the fires of 1639 and 1660, and rebuilt, survived a miracle from the fire of 1696, swallowing all around. Mustafa II. turned to the mausoleum as a result of her mother's pressures. Then the priests moved to a small country house in Pera. In 1724 a new church was built and sanctified in Pera in the name of Saint Antoine.



For the new tramway to be built in 1904, the Church of Saint Antoine had to be demolished. For this the priests looked for an area where they can build their church on the same street. The blessing for this new church to be built was made on August 23, 1906 by Mgr. Giovanni Borgomaneto, the first stone was laid on the basis of the new church. In 1907 the work was cut in half due to lack of material resources, and two years later, in January of 1910, the pavement-level construction resumed and completed the new church within two years. The priests moved to the new church on the anniversary of the relocation of Saint Antoine's place to Padua Basilica, and then the church was sanctified and worshiped. The church was founded in 1932 by Pope XI. He was honored by Pius and raised to the basilica level. At the same time, The Antoine Catholic Church continues to worship as the largest and largest Catholic church in Istanbul.

Who is Saint Antoine?




In 1195, he was born in Lisbon as the first son of a rich and splendid family. Saint Antoine, who was named Fernando when he was baptized, was sent to the school at a time when his literacy rate was very low. According to the sources, his rich family wanted his son to be a lawyer to boast more with him, but he resented his unwillingness to pursue a modest life. The love of God that he has been through since he was a child has been the most important factor in determining his future. According to one legend, Saint Antoine, when he felt the presence of the devil in the Lisbon Cathedral, drew him a cross from the cathedral. When he was fifteen years old he left everything behind and left the palace where he sat, entered a monastery near Lisbon, and became one of the leading scholars of Europe. Portugal's then capital, another municipality in Coimbria, took the rank of chaplain at the age of twenty-five because his family and friends constantly harassed him in the monastery to convince him to return. Antoine turned the evil Christians to life according to the Bible, turning the deviants of Catholicism to the way of God. June 13, 1231 Friday was the last day of Antoine's life. He was thirty-six when he consciously surrendered his soul to God.


Architectural Properties of Saint Antoine Church


The Saint Antoine Church was built by Italian architect Giulio Mongeri, born in Istanbul, in Italian neogothic style and reinforced concrete. It is also known that there was a place called Concordia, where the place was later transformed into a theater, and in 1886 it was named Cafe Concert. The church is particularly noteworthy with the color of the building material. It is also included in the sources that the apartments in the north and south of the church have been built to provide income to the church.



Three doors were built to access the church's courtyard, larger in the middle and smaller in the side. Today, however, two of these entries are closed and the entrance to the courtyard is provided from a door. These triple entries are the works done in the churches in order to reflect Mother Mary-Holy Spirit (God) -and the symbolism. The building is built with brick, and in the west there is a very small narthex (a transitional corridor extending transversely from the main house to the outside space). There is an apse section to the east of the building, which is built with the Latin cross plan scheme. The apse chapters are sections made for the clergy 's clergy class and made outwardly circular. The apses of the churches are generally oriented towards the east. At the same time, the church is a religious building where the details of neogothic architectural style can best be observed in Istanbul. The moment you enter the interior, you are faced with bundle pillars extending vertically under the headers decorated with the leaves of the stylized acanthus plant, which carries the top cover in the shape of a blue color and a ribbed vault. In addition, the front of the building is designed in the Tuscan region of Italy.



If you ever walk in Istiklal Street one day, you must see the church. Be sure you feel silent and peaceful peaks. For what religion is yours, It will be very difficult to describe these stunning feelings. You will feel in all the religious structures that you will see by the first step from the gate.

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