Church of Saint Dimitrios
The other Greek Orthodox church in the center is located on the corner of Alaçam Street and Zagnos Paşa Street. This is the Church of Saint Dimitrios (Hagios Dimitrios), the patron saint of Büyükada. Since 1923, the Church of St. Dimitrios has been the center of the Archdiocese of Prinkiponisa, within whose sphere of influence all Greek Orthodox churches on the "Islands", which were previously considered to belong to the City of Chalcedon (Kadıköy), were included.
The church was designed by Greek architect Fistikos Kalfa and built between 1856 and 1860. During the laying of the foundations of the church, workers were carrying Emperor II. They unearthed a column capital bearing a relief from the initials of Justin (565-78). This title is currently exhibited in the courtyard of the church.
The church consists of three corridors made of stone and has three entranceways lined with domed passages. The central part of the church is separated from the side aisles by rows of twin columns, each consisting of four columns, covered with an Ionic style capital and connected to each other by arches. The main altar is dedicated to St. Dimitrios, and the two smaller prayer rooms are dedicated to St. Pandeleimon (Hagios Pandeleimon) and Hz. It is dedicated to Elijah (Hagios Profitis Ilias). In the central dome of the main corridor is a relief portrait of Jesus, the Lord of the Universe. The gilded pulpit erected on the opposite side of the second column on the left is decorated with portraits of the four Gospel writers. The baroque throne of the patriarch is located opposite the third column on the right. The Icon wall, carved with detailed motifs, is made of marble plaster. The icon of St. Dimitrios in the middle part of the church is covered with silver and has been standing since the 17th century. The two icons located in the private prayer rooms on both sides are extraordinarily beautiful works.
