Samatya - St. George Church

The Samatya St. George Armenian Church, also known as the Surp Kevork Armenian Church of Istanbul, is an important Armenian Apostolic church located in the Samatya neighborhood of Istanbul. The church has a traditional Armenian architectural style, with a rectangular shape and a dome above the altar. It was originally built in the 5th century, but was destroyed during the Byzantine era and rebuilt in the 19th century. The interior is decorated with frescoes and mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible and Armenian history, and it also has a large bell tower and a courtyard where various events and gatherings are held.

The church was established as the Monastery of Theotokos Peribleptos in the 5th century and was one of the most important Greek Orthodox monasteries in Constantinople. After the Conquest, Sultan Mehmed II gave the church to the Armenians from Bursa, who made it the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate. In the subsequent decades, there were many arguments between the Greek and Armenian communities over the possession of the building, which is why it was often called the Bloody Church. The church burnt down repeatedly in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and the current building was completed in 1887.

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Zeno.ru, Tramaked, post #72777, 10-Feb-2006