Saint Esprit Church

Saint Esprit Church is a church located in the courtyard of the Notre Dame de Sion French High School on Cumhuriyet Street, in the Şişli district of Istanbul. It was built by the architect Gaspard Fossati by Hillereau, who was in Istanbul as the representative of the Pope. Its construction started in 1845 and was opened for worship in 1846. Pope Benedict XV in the garden of the church. Statue of Benedict. The church, which was damaged due to earthquakes, was renovated in 1865. The facade of the cathedral is covered by the Notre Dame de Sion French High School. While the church was built by Monsignor Hillereau, an underground cemetery was also prepared for the burial of nuns and Saint Esprit believers. In the underground cemetery, where burial continued until 1927, there are the graves of Giuseppe Donizetti, the founder of the Mızıka-yı Hümâyun, Hillereau, the founder of the church, and others. The church also sheltered and hosted Jews who escaped from Nazi Germany and took refuge in Istanbul between 1939 and 1945.