Istanbul Trip Overview
Take a stroll through the fascinating Fener and Balat districts in Istanbul for a real lesson in history. See a functioning Byzantine church, made solely from iron and steel, and much more on this half-day walking tour.
Additional Info
Duration: 4 hours
Starts: Istanbul, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Istanbul, Turkey, Turkey
Take a stroll through the fascinating Fener and Balat districts in Istanbul for a real lesson in history. See a functioning Byzantine church, made solely from iron and steel, and much more on this half-day walking tour.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Fener & Balat, Fener & Balat, Istanbul
Our tour starts with picking you up from your hotel and heading to explore this historic area where we will see the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Fener Greek Orthodox College, the oldest surviving Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, commonly known as the Red School. In the early of 15th century, the Ottoman Turks had conquered much of Asia Minor and had turned the Balkan Peninsula in the province of their territory. In the spiritual sector, the situation was even worse. That’s because, before the Fall of Istanbul, the most eminent scholars fled to West, where they occupied important positions in the intellectual history of Europe and were coefficients of the Renaissance.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Meryem Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi (Kanlı Kilise), Balat, Tevkii Cafer Mektebi Sk. No:1, 34087 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Our next stop is Church of Panagia Mouchliotissa located in the district of Fener. It is the only Byzantine church in the city that has continued to function as an Orthodox church. This church, which is also known as St. Mary of the Mongols, was a Middle Byzantine structure significantly altered during the Palaiologan and Ottoman eras. The church, originally known as Theotokos Panagiotissa served as the katholikon of the convent founded by Maria Palaiologina in the late 13th century. However the church has been significantly altered over time, with its original structure – a tetraconch – dating back to the 11th century. It is the only Byzantine church that was never converted to a mosque and has always been a Greek Orthodox Church.
This is where our tour ends.
Duration: 2 hours
