Saint Voukolos Church

Saint Voukolos Church
Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Βουκόλου Σμύρνης
Aziz Vukolos Kilisesi
Religion
AffiliationGreek Orthodox Church
PatronVoukolos
Location
LocationKonak, İzmir, Turkey
Geographic coordinates38°25′17.3″N 27°08′51.6″E / 38.421472°N 27.147667°E / 38.421472; 27.147667
Architecture
Completed1887
Materials

Saint Voukolos Church (Turkish: Aziz Vukolos Kilisesi, Greek: Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Βουκόλου Σμύρνης) is a Greek Orthodox church in İzmir, Turkey. Its patron saint is Voukolos, the first Bishop of Smyrna.

History

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Saint Voukolos Church, which started to be built in 1886 by the Armenians of the Greek Orthodox faith, was opened to worship in 1887.[1][2][3] It was the only structure of Armenians that was not damaged by the great fire of Smyrna in 1922.[3] As a result of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the church community left İzmir in the following year.[4]

In February 1924, at the request of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the church building started to host the İzmir Archaeological Museum.[1] During this period, the frescoes in the church were covered.[3] In 1951, with the relocation of the museum to Kültürpark, the church building started to function as an opera study hall and a warehouse.[5][6] In 1975, it was registered as a "cultural asset to be protected".[5] It was severely damaged in a fire in 1990.[2][5] In 2003, it was given to the use of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality.[5] In December 2008, restoration work started at the church.[5] After the restoration work was completed in 2010, the church building began to be used for cultural events; two of the four additions of the church were opened as the İzmir Journalists' Association Press Museum, and Hanife Çetiner and Esin Yılmaz Memorial House.[5][7][8][9] On 17 August 2014, for the first time since 1922, a ritual was held at the church for the Assumption of Mary.[10] The church also hosted various rites in 2015, 2016, and 2018.[11][12][13]

Architecture

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Built using stone and brick, the church has one nave, one apse, and one transept.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Aya Vukla (Aziz Vukolos) Kilisesi" (in Turkish). Ortodokslar Topluluğu. 6 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "The Ayavukla Church of Basmane, Izmir". Levantine Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Korucu, Serdar (14 September 2013). "İzmir yangınında ziyafet". Agos (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Aya Vukla (Aziz Vukolos) Kilisesi" (in Turkish). İzmir İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Ayavukla Kilisesi kent yaşamına katıldı" (in Turkish). İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  6. ^ Beşikçi, Orhan (18 July 2011). "Agios Voukolos..." (in Turkish). kentyasam.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  7. ^ "İzmir Basın Tarihi Müzesi" (in Turkish). Ahmet Piriştina City Archives and Museum. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  8. ^ "İzmir Basın Müzesi" (in Turkish). TARKEM. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Modacılar Hanife Çetiner ve Esin Yılmaz İçin Anı Evi Açılıyor" (in Turkish). haberler.com. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  10. ^ "İzmir'deki kilisede 92 yıl sonra ilk ayin". Akşam (in Turkish). 17 August 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Basmane'de Meryem Ana Yortusu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 20 August 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Patrik Bartholomeos Tarihi Kilisede Ayin Yönetti". Milliyet (in Turkish). 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Aziz Vukolos'u Anma Töreni" (in Turkish). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
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Media related to Saint Voukolos Church at Wikimedia Commons