Stephan ( Bulgarian) Church

Stephan ( Bulgarian) Church

 

Belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox minority this church is perhaps the most interesting church in Istanbul. The people of Bulgarian orign living in the ottoman Empire used to workhip in churches belonging to the Fener orthodox Patriarchate. In the 19th century, they received permission from the state to have their own church. At first a small wooden church was built on the area between Balat and Fener by the Golden Horn. Later, they took the initiative to build a bigger church. Since the ground was not very strong there, they preferred an iron framework because it was not as heavy as concrete. The project was prepared by the Armenian Hovsep Aznavur from Istanbul. An internationl competition was held to constuct prefabricate parts. The parts manufacture in Vienna were brought by ship to Istanbul via Danube Revir and the Black Sea. It was essembled in its present location in 1898. Ithe carrier profiles of the church were made of stell and covered with galvanized and cast sheets. All of the parts were mounted by nuts, bolts, rivets, and welding. It shows neo-gothich and neo-baroque characteristics in terms of architecture.