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Samatya is a pleasant neighborhood in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It sits on the Marmara Sea between Yedikule and Cerrahpaşa.
History
The name for Samatya is derived for the Greek word for the neighborhood, Psamatheia (Ψαμάθεια). It has a high concentration of Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches as well as some attractive back streets. You’ll find a few historic Ottoman buildings mixed in among ugly modern concrete structures.
Greeks have lived in Samatya since at least 383, when a monastery was established there. Armenians were resettled there in 1458 by Mehmed the Conqueror. The area was also populated by Karamanlides, who are Turkish speaking Orthodox Christians from Cappadocia, after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Imrahor Mosque
I explored Samatya one afternoon with my Turkish friends Selen and Canan. We started in Yedikule, where we visited the Yedikule Fortress and wandered through the backstreets before coming to the ruins of the Imrahor Mosque (İmrahor Camii). It’s probably the oldest remaining Byzantine church in Istanbul, dating back to the 5th century.
The Imrahor Mosque was originally the Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner at Stoudios (Μονή του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Στουδίου). It was founded in 462 by Roman consul Flavius Studius. The monastery became famous under Saint Theodore the Studite (759-826), who developed the rules of academic and spiritual study that to this day guide the monks of Mount Athos and many other Orthodox monasteries around the world. The monastery was also the center of Byzantine religious hymns in the 8th and 11th centuries, and many of these hymns are still used in the Orthodox church today.
The Monastery of Stoudios was destroyed by Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204. It was restored in 1290 by Constantine Palaiologos (1261-1306), and much of the monastery was destroyed again during the Fall of Constantinople. The remaining building, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, was converted to a mosque by İmrahor İlyas Bey (b. 1408), an Ottoman military commander and governor of Albanian origin under Sultan Bayezid II.
The mosque was damaged by fires in 1792 and 1920, and an earthquake in 1894. The complex has been left exposed to the elements, and has been looted by locals looking for materials to repair their homes. It contains a deteriorating 13th century mosaic floor. Fragments of the building are on display at the Benaki Museum in Athens and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
Around the corner from the ruins of the mosque is the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church (Ἅγιοι Κωνσταντῖνος καὶ Ἑλένη Ὑψωμαθείων / Aya Konstantino Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). It was built in 1805 on the site of a 16th century chapel and has served the community of Karamanlides. The church was heavily damaged during the Istanbul Pogrom of 1955.
Surp Anarad Hığutyun Armenian Catholic Church
A short walk up İmrahor İlyasbey Avenue is the Surp Anarad Hığutyun Armenian Catholic Church (Surp Anarad Hığutyun Ermeni Katolik Kilisesi). It opened to worship on November 27, 1857, by Armenian Catholic Patriarch Andon Hasun, and the architect was Andon Tülbentçiyan. In the courtyard is the Mesrobyan School, which was established in 1845 and is no longer active.
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Across the street down another narrow street is Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (Ἅγιος Νικόλαος Ὑψωμαθείων / Aya Nikola Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). The original church was destroyed after the Greek Revolution in 1821. It was rebuilt in 1834.
Analipsis Greek Orthodox Church
Around the corner is the Analipsis Greek Orthodox Church (Θεία Ἀνάληψις Ὑψωμαθείων / Aya Analipsiz Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). The first church was built on the site in 1566, probably on the ruins of a Byzantine church. It burned down in 1660 and again in 1782. The current building dates back to 1832 and is in need of maintenance.
Samatya Square
After that, we had a delicious lunch on Samatya Square (Samatya Meydanı). This pleasant square is surrounded by plenty of meyhanes (tavernas) serving fish and seafood. It’s a great place to spend some time.
Saint Minas Greek Orthodox Church
Next, we walked back up to the main road running through Samatya, Org. Abdurrahman Nafiz Gürman Avenue, and passed Saint Minas Greek Orthodox Church (Ἅγιος Μηνᾶς Ὑψωμαθείων / Aya Mina Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). It sits on the ruins of a Byzantine church that existed as early as the 10th century. Another church dating back to 1604 and dedicated to SS Papylus and Carpus also stood there until it burned down in 1782. The current church dates back to 1833 and was seriously damaged during the 1955 Istanbul Pogrom. It contains a holy spring dedicated to St. Minas.
Saint George Kiparisa Greek Orthodox Church
A couple blocks further to the east is Saint George Kiparisa Greek Orthodox Church (Αγίου Γεωργίου Κυπαρισσά Υψωμαθείων / Aya Yorgi Kiparisa Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). The history of this church dates back to the 9th century. A Byzantine church built in 1132 was replaced by a newer building in 1577. That church burned down in 1782, and the current church was built in 1834.
Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque
Walking a bit further inland to the north is the Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque (Sancaktar Hayrettin Camii). It was originally built in the 14th century as part of a Byzantine nunnery, the Monastery of Gastria (Μονή των Γαστρίων), and probably functioned as a burial chapel. The Monastery of Gastria dates back to at least the beginning of the 9th century. It was founded by Theoktiste, the mother of Empress Theodora.
Shortly after the Fall of Constantinople, Hayrettin Efendi, the standard bearer of Mehmed the Conqueror, converted the building to a mosque. The building was damaged during an earthquake in 1894, and wasn’t repaired until between 1973 and 1976.
Byzantine Sea Walls
Across Kennedy Avenue (Kennedy Caddesi) on the Marmara Sea is a section of the Byzantine sea walls.
This small section is now a public park. We were able to climb the walls and enjoy the views. It’s nice at sunset.
Sümbül Efendi Mosque
Finally, far inland from the heart of the neighborhood is the Sümbül Efendi Mosque (Sümbül Efendi Camii), also known as the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Koca Mustafa Paşa Camii). It was originally the church of the Byzantine Monastery of Saint Andrew in Krisei (Μονὴ τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου ἐν τῇ Κρίσει). The building has lost all of its Byzantine features and is now completely Ottoman in appearance.
The monastery was founded in the beginning of the 5th century by Arcadia (400-444), the daughter of Emperor Arcadius. It was rebuilt in the 9th century and again in 1284. The monastery was first dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, but was later rededicated to Saint Andrew of Crete, a martyr in the fight against Byzantine Iconoclasm. He was killed on November 20, 766, in the Forum Bovis (somewhere in the Aksaray area).
In 1489, Koca Mustafa Pasha (d. 1512), the gatekeeper (kapıcıbaşı) of Topkapi Palace, converted the church into a mosque. Koca Mustafa Pasha was of Greek ancestry and later served as a Grand Vizier under Sultan Bayezid II. Sümbül Efendi (d. 1529), the founder of the Sunbuli order of Sufis, is buried in a tomb next to the mosque.
