Virgin Mary Draperis Latin Catholic Church

Santa Maria Draperis Church (Turkish: Virgin Mary Draperis Latin Catholic Church) is a historically Latin Catholic church in Istanbul. This church, built in 1584, is one of the oldest active churches in Istanbul. The structure is located in Istanbul, Beyoğlu, 215, Istiklal Caddesi, (formerly Grande Rue de Pera), at the bottom of a steep staircase protected by an artistic fence. A few months before the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans in 1453, the church of St. Antonio of Padova was built by the Franciscans in Sirkeci, on the southern strip of the Golden Horn (which was then the center of Constantinople for Venetian merchants). After the conquest, the Franciscans were forced to leave this place, and after moving several times until 1584, they moved to the Mumhane neighborhood of Galata. Here Klara Maria Draperis, a Levantine woman, donated a house and a small chapel to them. The altar of the chapel was decorated with a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. When the chapel was completely burned in 1660, this statue was saved by a member of the Draperis family. Since the building was completely destroyed in the fire, the state seized the land based on the Ottoman laws of the period. For this reason, the Franciscans asked permission from the Sultan, but as a result, the church was demolished in 1663, even if it was rebuilt. After this incident, the Franciscans left the region and moved to the region called Dörtyol above Pera. They built another church here in 1678, but the church burned in 1697 and was completely destroyed by the earthquake in 1727. The building burned again in 1767 and was rebuilt for the fifth time in 1769. The statue of the Virgin Mary, which survived every disaster, has survived to this day. Today, this church is one of the three Roman Catholic churches in the Levantine Square, along with St. Anthony's (which is also on Istiklal Street) and the St. Peter and Paul Church. During the 19th century, St. Mary's Church was the most prestigious church in the region. According to the census in 1803, it is known that its congregation included 470 Levantines, a few Arabs and a few Armenian Catholics. Today, Franciscan priests continue to hold services in this church every day in Italian and on Sundays in Spanish.