Yeni Kapu - Holy Apostles Church

The Church of the Holy Apostles, also known as the Imperial Polyándreion, was a significant Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated back to the 4th century and was dedicated to the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and it was the Emperor's intention to gather relics of all the Apostles in the church. In later centuries, only relics of Saint Andrew, Saint Luke and Saint Timothy were acquired, and in later centuries it came to be assumed that the church was dedicated to these three only. The church was second in size and importance only to the Hagia Sophia among the great churches of the capital. When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, the Holy Apostles briefly became the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Three years later, the church of the Holy Apostles was demolished by the Ottomans to make way for the Fatih Mosque.