Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Constantinople

The Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator is the oldest Armenian church in Constantinople, built in 1431. According to old records, the Church of Saint Sargis stood on this site in the 1360s. The church was destroyed many times, and in 1958, during the construction of a road between the Karaköy and Tophane districts, it was demolished completely.

In 1961–1965 it was rebuilt from the stones of its predecessor under the architect Bedros Zobyan, who had studied the churches of Ani. It was opened on 15 May 1966 in the presence of Patriarch Shnork Kalustyan. It is the city’s only Armenian church with a drum and a conical dome. The surrounding buildings house the Getronagan (Central) School, founded in 1886.

The photograph, taken from above, shows the church with its conical dome and small bell tower, multi-storey buildings behind it, and cars parked in the street.