Istanbul's iconic Iron Church restored to former glory

By Andac Hongur and Adem Demir

ISTANBUL

The bells of Istanbul's Iron Church along the shores of the Golden Horn will ring in January next year after a seven-year renovation.

The Bulgarian Church of Sveti Stefan, known as the world's only surviving completely iron church, dates back to the 19th century. It was assembled in two years and opened in 1898 in Balat, the old Jewish quarter of the city's European side.

The Iron Church is also close to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Fener district of the city.

The Neo-Gothic-style church will be reopened with a ceremony to be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan along with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Jan. 7.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Vasil Liaze, president of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Foundation, said only three prefabricated iron churches were built in the world, located in Argentina, Austria and Turkey.

"The churches in Argentina and Austria were destroyed in time; only the iron church in Balat is still standing even to this day," said Liaze.

History of the church

Liaze said the prefabricated parts weighing some 500 tons, were sent to Istanbul on small cargo ships from Vienna via the Danube, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

Its Armenian architect, Hovsep Aznavur, won a design competition organized by the then Bulgarian authorities. The constructor was Rudolf von Wagner from Vienna.

Liaze said the components of fully iron complex were pieced together at sea. "There is a tree in Brazil, which flourishes in water. The church was built on this kind of tree and opened in 1898," he said.

As the building was initially settled on the sea, corrosion damaged metal.

Before the restoration, another project was launched 14 years ago to reinforce the surrounding area with concrete, to prevent the building from subsiding.

'Same as original'

Liaze said Erdogan initiated the restoration after a request from the Bulgarian minority in the city.

"He [Erdogan] had already helped us when he was Istanbul mayor. We are also neighbors. He is from Kasimpasa, we're from Balat. We asked him about 8-9 years ago, and he ordered the restoration of the church," Liaze said.

He said each part, to the finest detail, was disassembled, repaired, then placed back in its original place.

"All the main columns were changed and the Iron Church was made to last for more than 100 years. We are sure it would be chosen as the most beautiful church in Istanbul," Liaze said.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality financed the restoration which cost 16 million Turkish liras (approx. $4 million). The Bulgarian government also contributed one million Turkish liras (roughly $253,000) to the project.

"It looks the same as the original one," Liaze said, adding that at least one thousand people from Bulgaria would attend the re-opening ceremony in January.

Around 3,000 people used to visit the church monthly before it closed its doors for the restoration. According to Liaze, the number of visitors will not fall below 5,000 a month after it is re-opened.

The restoration was made under the reciprocity principle between the states as the Bulgarian government gave permission to restore the Friday (Cuma) Mosque in Plovdiv while the Turkish government enabled the restoration of the Iron Church.

Serving as a center for several religions, Istanbul is a city with many houses of worship including mosques, churches and synagogues.

*Burcu Arik also contributed to this story.