A visit to hidden Constantinople – Greece sleeps in modern Istanbul (pics + vids)

Constantinople, the one-time largest and wealthiest city of Christianity, still lies asleep in the shadows of the skyscrapers of present-day Istanbul… All you need to do is look.

Hagia Sophia
The Greek identity of Hagia Sophia rings loudly despite the minarets surrounding it. The former Greek Orthodox Patriarchal basilica may have had its intricate mosaics plastered over when it was converted to an imperial mosque, but the Christian identity will never be lost for as long as it remains standing. It lives on in the legends, such as the one of passageway leading to the “hidden Patriarch” and the “sweating column” that offers miraculous cures for all ailments.

Pera
The Beyoglu district where the Greek Embassy is located was called Pera by Greeks, meaning “across”. It is the home of Levantine families who migrated to Istanbul and one of the most cosmopolitan areas in the region. Istiklak Caddesi still stands as the European face of Turkey, but leave the main street and walk around the winding lanes and you’ll notice abandoned neo-classical buildings that were once owned by wealthy Greeks that fled from the region, fearing their lives after the September pogrom in 1955.

Zografeion Lyceum
One of the remaining open Greek schools in Pera, near Taksim Square, the heart of the city. Founded in the late 19th century, it was created as the growing number of Greek students proved to be more than Zappeion could bear. In its heyday, it had more than 800 students.

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The center of the Greek Orthodox Church is located in Istanbul.Once thriving, most of its property has been confiscated. It once was located in the magnificent, Hagia Sophia, but it is now headquartered at the Church of St. George. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is the current head. According to requirements, the head of the patriarchate is obliged to be a Turkish citizen.

Fanari – Fener
It lies in the district known as Fatih. The area is home to the Greek Patriarchate, and is full of historic wooden mansions and were once occupied by the brightest, most notable Greeks (hence the name Fanari, meaning light). Now downgraded, and a shadow of its former self it is mainly occupied by masses of Turks, brought in from Anatolia. It is not unusual to find chickens jumping out of houses and barefoot neighborhood children playing in the streets.

Great School of the Nation
The Phar Roman Orthodox Lyceum is the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox School in Istanbul. Established in 1454 by Matheos Kamariotis, it was once the school of the wealthiest families. Ministers children, Princess and the finest young heirs of Turkish society studied at this exquisitely designed school that is described as the “5th largest castle in Europe” and looks a little like Hogwards. Today, the school has six Turkish and 15 Greek teachers and adheres to the Turkish law that obliges it to teach the full Turkish curriculum in addition to Greek subjects.

Theological School of Halki
The seminary was founded in 1844 on the island of Halki (Turkish – Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes’ Islands at the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theology until the Turkish Parliament enacted a law banning private higher education institutions in 1971. located at the Hill of Hope, Greeks still hope that the school will operate again.

Sisli Greek Orthodox Cemetery
The Christian Cemetery stands just across from a modern mall. It is made up of mainly Greek graves. The burial occupies 52 acres where a total of 85,000 individuals are buried. During the anti-Greek riots in 1955, the cemetery was vandalized. Crosses and statues were knocked down and vaults were opened with the remains of the dead dispersed among the dogs. Now, many of the graves lie forgotten as the progeny of the people buried them have left… forgetting the ones that were left here to rest.

Zoodohos Pigi, Baloukli
One of the most famous Greek Orthodox shrines of Istanbul, it is located to the west of the city. The place is rich in history, full of destruction and new beginnings with invasions, fires, looting and earthquakes.

There are the places, stories and legends that forever tie Greeks with Istanbul… because for them Istanbul will always be Constantinople.