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St. Antoine Church (Sent Antuan Kilisesi / Basilica di Sant’Antonio di Padova) is the largest Catholic church in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located on Istiklal Street in the Beyoğlu district.
History
St. Antoine Church was built between 1906 and 1912 in the Venetian style by Italian architect Giulio Mongeri. It mostly served the Italian community of the city, which numbered around 40,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, and were of mostly Genoese and Venetian descent. The original church on the site was built in 1725.
The church is run by Italian priests and is open daily to visitors. Mass is held in Italian, Turkish, English, and Polish.
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII served at St. Antoine Church from 1934 to 1944 before being elected pope in 1958. He was the Vatican ambassador to Turkey and spoke fluent Turkish. A statue of the pope dedicated in 2006 sits near the entrance.
The Church
Above the entrance is a lunette depicting the Madonna between Saints Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua.
The interior of the church has a Latin cross plan. The nave is illuminated by stained glass windows. The altar is made of marble and has wooden stalls behind it.
An organ constructed in 1947 sits above the entrance. In the aisles are a few chapels.
Apartments
The apartments facing Istiklal Street were built at the same time as the church in order to generate income. The proceeds of the St. Antoine Apartments (St. Antoine Apartmanları) contributed to the maintenance of the church. They consist of two six story blocks connected by passages on the ground and second level. The apartments were the first reinforced concrete buildings in Beyoğlu.
