The last shortcomings of the opening of the first church in the history of the Republic of Türkiye are being fixed. The Mor Efrem Syriac Ancient Orthodox Church, which is being built in Istanbul’s Yeşilköy district is planned to be opened within two months.
In 2019, the foundation was laid with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to entertain the request of the Syriac community to allocate a place of worship to them.
President of the Istanbul Syriac Ancient Foundation, Sait Susin said, “Feverish work is being carried out to eliminate the last deficiencies to open the first-ever church of the Turkish republic.”
Sharing the details of the church building Susin explained: “The first floor is reserved for the cultural hall where the congregation would gather, and ceremonies such as baptisms, condolences and weddings, as well as meetings and conferences, would be held and on the ground floor prayers and rituals will be held, there is a bishop’s living area, guest rooms and a parking lot. The chandeliers and sound systems in the cultural hall are being installed in the coming days.”
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