The most beautiful religious buildings Istanbul & Marmara Region

It is the only synagogue still in service of the Ashkenazi community in Istanbul, founded by Ashkenazi from Austria. Totally different from Sephardic synagogues, its facade is in European style, and its pagoda-like altar is probably the work of a Pole. In its centre is a large silver-coloured dome and imposing lamps brought back from Vienna. Its architecture is reminiscent of Ottoman period pavilions.

Icon restoration workshops can be visited by appointment. The Patriarch exercises his direct authority only over the Turkish dioceses, Thrace, the Dodecanese Islands, Crete and Mount Athos, or four million Orthodox out of an estimated two hundred million. Symbolically, it retains a decision-making role in all national churches (Russia, Greece, Cyprus, etc.). It also has the power not to recognize some of them (Macedonia, Albania, Turkey). It consists of the residence of Patriarch Bartholomew, several administrative buildings, a library, a school for girls, another for boys, various workshops and the church of St. George. Only the church is accessible to the public through a side door. In the courtyard, the two-headed eagle on the façade, a symbol of Byzantium, can be seen. The interior decoration is naturally very rich, starting with the iconostasis completely covered with gold leaves. About sixty icons crown this symbolic separation of Earth and Heaven. In the centre of the temple, velvet seats can accommodate VIP guests visiting Istanbul. Presidents of foreign states cannot escape this ritual. The church also houses some relics of saints and the Flagellation column brought back from Jerusalem by Empress Helena. The most remarkable piece is undoubtedly the patriarchal throne, known as the Saint-Jean-Chrysostome throne, made of marquetry and ivory.

At Toptaşı, on a vast and rugged terrain, it is part of a complex built between 1577 and 1583, in accordance with the wishes of the mother of Sultan Murad III (1574-1595), Sultan Nurbanu. It is one of the largest complexes built by the architect Sinan. Apart from the mosque, there is a medersa, a dispensary, a caravanserai, a hospice, a popular canteen and a Koranic reading school built close together. The central space of the mosque is topped by a dome resting on six pillars and extends towards two lateral spaces each covered with two domes. The inner part is covered with four domes, while the outer part has a sloping roof. The building is covered with 16th century Iznik ceramic panels. The marble minbar is carved with geometric motifs and the imperial lodge is decorated with 18th century carvings. The rectangular courtyard is bordered by a peristyle covered with domes. The medersa, which is adjoining the mosque wall, is built according to a classical plan, with rooms aligned along the courtyard and bordered by a portico. The large classroom is located in the east wing. The dispensary of the complex is to the east of the mosque. The double hammam consists of a vaulted frigidarium (dedicated to cold baths), a tepidarium (warm baths) topped by a cupola in the centre and a caldarium (hot baths) with a large cupola.

Built between 1553 and 1555 by Sinan the Architect on behalf of Sinan Paşa, brother of the great vizier of the time who was a great admiral in the Ottoman fleet. The mosque's courtyard is bordered by a peristyle supported by 22 columns and covered with tiles. As the porticoed courtyard was only reserved for imperial mosques, the arrangement of a medersa in front of the mosque was a means of diverting this prohibition. The interior ornaments of the mosque are made of fine carving.

Built by Master Sinan in 1580 on behalf of Kılıç Ali Paşa, the complex (külliye) initially included a mosque, a medersa (school), a hammam, a mausoleum and a public fountain distributed in a square space according to a precise geometric arrangement. Its architectural style has many similarities with Saint Sophia. Flanked by two half-domes, the central dome and the four buttresses on the sides are indeed a replica.

Set of buildings (külliye) composed of a mosque, a medersa, a fountain and a mausoleum, built in 1580 by Sinan the Architect on behalf of Şemsi Paşa. The mosque is built according to a square plan and its main space is topped by a dome and a minaret with a single circular balcony. The mausoleum, with its rectangular appearance, has vaulted ceilings. The large classroom is located between the rooms and this medersa now serves as a library.

Those who prefer to discover the small traditional buildings, can visit this charming mosque. It was built in 1778, in memory of Abdülhamid I's mother (1774-1789), Sultan Rabia. Mehmet Tahir Ağa, the first architect of Sultan Mustafa III (1757-1773), was the designer. We find his particular touch, the baroque, a style adopted at the beginning of the century. With its 55 windows and unique dome, it contains Turkish and European earthenware.

You can only be struck by the grace and elegance of this mosque, which is unlike any other. Combining baroque and neoclassical styles, it has the particularity of having the finest minarets in the world! On the side, the clock of the Dolmabahçe Palace perfectly complements the softness of the landscape. Another marriage between the West and the East, its architect is Garabed Balyan, appointed by Sultana Mother Bezmi Alem, who built the building in the mid-19th century.

Literally "Underground Mosque", this unique building bears its name well: it has occupied the old cellars of Galata Castle since the mid-18th century and is therefore... underground! With its 54 pillars and labyrinthine corridors, it exudes a unique mysticism. At its location was a Byzantine fortress that was part of Constantinople's defence system. The famous chain that blocked the entrance to the Golden Horn started from this point.

Built in 1427 by Jews from Macedonia, this synagogue is the oldest, but also one of the largest in Istanbul. Still in use, it is the only synagogue founded during the Byzantine period. It takes its name from the city of Ohri in Macedonia, where this Jewish community came from in Byzantine times. The synagogue is known for its boat-shaped reading platform, called Tevah. She only admires herself from the outside.

It is composed of a mosque, a medersa, an elementary school, a hammam, a mausoleum and shops. A real masterpiece! Once again, Sinan surpassed himself by building this complex (1560-1565) for Soliman's daughter, Princess Mihrimah, who died in 1558 and was buried in Süleymaniye. Mihrimah is an aerial building of exemplary simplicity. Considered as Sinan's "original experimentation", the central space of the mosque has been enlarged here and the half-dome, which usually supported the large dome with its north wing, has been removed, which rests, through pendants, on four pillars of blue and pink granite. If, seen from the outside, the mosque looks like a cube topped by a dome that no visible counter-butt comes to consolidate, the interior reserves the most beautiful surprises. Exceptionally bright, the mosque evokes the most beautiful cathedrals in the West. Four practically translucent eardrums, each pierced with 15 windows and 4 ox's eyes, light flows into an almost transparent space. The fountain of ablutions with sixteen columns and square and massive capitals is characteristic of the 16th century. The minaret was replaced in the 19th century by a baroque one. The double hammam, built on a cruciform plane, has canopies and angular cells. The large dome in the middle is supported by half domes. A fountain was added to the complex in 1778.

Built from 1906 to 1912, the church was built according to the plans of the architect Guilio Mongeri. A place of worship of the largest Catholic community, it is one of the largest churches in the city. Made of red bricks, it is typical of Italian neo-Gothic architecture. The offices are in several languages. The apartments that are part of the complex are also the work of the same architect and house members of the Catholic community.

It is one of the oldest mosques in Istanbul, as evidenced by the epigraphy on the pediment of the front door dated 1471-1472. The prayer hall is an exception in Ottoman architecture, which tends to favour larger ranks of the faithful. It was built on the initiative of Has Hasan Paşa, which is illustrated during the wars waged by Mehmed the Conqueror against the Turkoman White Sheep dynasty, Uzun Hasan.

The convent and its annex buildings were built in 1703 by Sultanahmet III. The ensemble consists of a Tevhidhane for ceremonies, a section for women and another for men, and mausoleums. The structure of the convent has hardly changed since its foundation. The particularity of Cerrahi dervishes is to pray while singing while others dance in a circle. Those who sing are also called howler dervishes in opposition to dancers or turners.

Completed in 1571, it is one of the works of the architect Sinan. The complex consists of a mosque, a medersa, a dervish convent and an ablution fountain. The building is decorated with 16th-century Iznik tiles. The dervish convent consists of a central space topped by a dome and ritual ceremonial rooms(semahan) extending to the sides. The mosque contains four fragments of the Black Stone of Mecca.