Church

Church of St. Mary of the Mongols

Name: Church of St. Mary of the Mongols
Address: 1 Tevkii Cafer Mektebi Sk., İstanbul, TR

17 locals recommend,

Tips from locals

Noa

March 31, 2014

Saint Mary of the Mongols (full name in Greek: Θεοτòκος Παναγιώτισσα. Turkish name: Kanlı Kilise (meaning:Bloody Church), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul.

Musa

May 19, 2022

You continue the tour by climbing the stairs in front of Dimitri Kantemir's house. As you climb the stairs and proceed, you will see the Virgin of the Mongols (Bloody Church). The most important feature of this church is that it is the only church that has been open to worship since Byzantium. The story of the name of the church being referred to as the Virgin Mary by the Mongols is as follows: Byzantine Emperor Mikail Paleologos wanted to marry his daughter Maria Despina to Ilkhanid Ruler Hülagü Han in 1264 in order to reach an agreement with the Mongols. Maria sets off from Istanbul with her dowry, but as the journey takes months, Hulagü Han, the groom-to-be, passes away. Maira married Hulagu Khan's son Abakan Khan. Maria lived there for 15 years and converted the former shaman, Abaka Khan, to a Christian. Thereupon, Abaka Khan's Muslim brother learned the situation and killed Abaka Khan and sent Maria back to Istanbul. When Maria returned to Istanbul, she established a women's monastery next to the existing church and continued her life as a nun. The conqueror of Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, has come to reward the Greek Christodoulos (Atik Sinan Pasha), the architect of the Fatih Mosque, which he had built in his name, and asked him what he wanted. Christodoulos wanted the Church of Panayia Muhliotissa, where he worshiped with his mother, to remain as a church. Mehmet the Conqueror accepted his request and issued a decree that this church should never be touched. The edict can still be seen in the church. Another feature of this church is that it is the only extant example of Byzantine churches with a four-leaf clover plan. There are two common rumors that the other name of the church is the Bloody Church. One is the blood of the soldiers assigned to the Byzantine defense during the conquest of Istanbul, flowing from the hill where the church is located, and the other is that the whole place was covered with blood when it was conquered by the soldiers of Fatih. people worshiping in the church to the sword.

Burak

October 26, 2019

St. Mary of the Mongols: The Last Byzantine Church Nowadays Istanbul is known for its mosques, but prior to 1453, Constantinople was a completely Christian city replete with churches. Many of them exist to this day: Hagia Sofia and Chora Church are the most renowned examples, but there is also Hagia Irene, Küçük Aya Sofya, Fethiye Mosque… In all there are some 40 Byzantine-era church structures still standing throughout the city.