Turkey.
Turkey is the ancient heartland of Eastern Orthodoxy and seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, yet today hosts only a small Greek Orthodox and Antiochian Orthodox minority.
Orthodoxy in
Turkey.
A living tradition — its history, its faithful, its sacred places.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Turkey
Few lands in the world are as deeply woven into the history of Eastern Orthodoxy as modern Turkey. The territory of today's Republic of Türkiye was the core of the Byzantine Empire for over a millennium, and its former capital, Constantinople (Istanbul), remains the spiritual center of world Orthodoxy. When the city fell to the Turks in 1453, becoming the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople continued as the honorary primacy of the Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches.
From Byzantium to the Republic
Hagia Sophia was built as an Eastern Orthodox church between 532 and 537 under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and in subsequent centuries it became a Roman Catholic cathedral, an Eastern Orthodox church again, a mosque, a museum, and — since 2020 — once more a mosque. The Monastery of Christ at Chora, likewise, was located in northwestern Byzantine Constantinople near the Charisios Gate. Since 1586 the Ecumenical Patriarchate has had its headquarters in the Church of St George in the Fener (Phanar) district of Istanbul.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate today
The Patriarch of Constantinople enjoys a position of honor as "first among equals" of the Orthodox primates. According to Turkish law, he is subject to the authority of the state of Turkey and is required to be a citizen of Turkey to be patriarch; the patriarch of Constantinople has been dubbed the ecumenical patriarch since the sixth century. Other than the Archdiocese of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarchate today comprises four other dioceses in Turkey: Chalcedon, Derkoi, the Princes' Islands, and Imbros and Tenedos.
A community much diminished
Following the population exchange of 1923, the 1955 Istanbul pogrom, and later pressures, the Greek Orthodox community of Turkey has contracted dramatically. The Istanbul Greeks are an indigenous minoritized group who have continuously inhabited their homeland since c. 657 BC and whose population has shrunk from 300,000 in the early 20th century to currently around 2,500. In 2020 the Anadolu Agency, a state-run news agency of the Turkish government, claimed that the number of Christians in Turkey was 480,854, which corresponds to 0.5% of the population.
Antiochian Orthodox in Hatay
In southeastern Turkey, another ancient Orthodox community endures. The Arabic-speaking Orthodox of the Hatay region, with a population of about 18,000, are faithful to the Patriarchate of Antioch, although it is now seated in Damascus; they reside largely in Antakya and Hatay province, with a few in Adana province. They preserve Byzantine-rite Christianity in Arabic in the region of ancient Antioch, where the disciples "were first called Christians."
Ongoing challenges
The closure of the Theological School of Halki remains a central concern. It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the Turkish parliament enacted a law banning private higher education institutions in 1971, and the school is located at the top of the island's Hill of Hope. Despite centuries of reduction, Orthodox worship continues daily at the Phanar, on the Princes' Islands, in Hatay, and at historic sites across Asia Minor, testifying to an unbroken presence rooted in apostolic times.
Saints of
Turkey.
3 venerated souls with ties to this land — fathers and mothers of the faith who are remembered here still.
Famous Orthodox churches and monasteries in Turkey
The sacred architecture of Orthodox Turkey — cathedrals, parishes, and the mountain monasteries that keep the lamps burning.
- Patriarchal Church of St George, Phanar (Istanbul) — Since 1586 the Ecumenical Patriarchate has had its headquarters in the Church of St George in the Fener (Phanar) district of Istanbul. It serves as the principal cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the spiritual heart of world Orthodoxy.
- Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), Istanbul — Built as an Eastern Orthodox church between 532 and 537 under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, it was the cathedral of Constantinople for nearly a millennium and the greatest church of the Byzantine world, today functioning as a mosque.
- Monastery of the Chora (Kariye), Istanbul — The Monastery of Christ at Chora was located in northwestern Byzantine Constantinople near the Charisios Gate, south of the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus. Renowned for its 14th-century mosaics and frescoes, it was most recently reconverted from a museum into a mosque.
- Sumela Monastery, Trabzon — Sumela Monastery is a museum and former Greek Orthodox monastery in the Pontic Mountains, in the Maçka district of Trabzon province, Turkey. Dedicated to the Theotokos (Panagia Soumela) and dating in tradition to the 4th century, it is a major pilgrimage site for Pontic Greeks.
- Monastery of the Holy Trinity (Hagia Triada), Heybeliada — The most renowned of the Princes' Islands monasteries was Hagia Triada, the Holy Trinity, whose site on Ümit Tepesi is occupied by the Greek Orthodox theological school of the same name, a direct descendant of the original Byzantine monastery. It housed the Halki Seminary, closed since 1971.
- Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Antakya — the principal Antiochian Orthodox parish of Hatay province, serving the Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians of the region of ancient Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians.
Orthodoxy
kept here.
The shape of the faith as it is lived and prayed across Turkey today.
Eastern Orthodoxy in Turkey is a tiny but historically incomparable minority. Two canonical communities dominate: the Greek-speaking faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, concentrated in Istanbul, Imbros (Gökçeada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada); and the Arabic-speaking faithful of the Patriarchate of Antioch, concentrated in Hatay province around Antakya, Iskenderun and Mersin.
Liturgical life in Istanbul is celebrated primarily in Greek according to the Byzantine rite, while Hatay parishes serve the Divine Liturgy in Arabic with some Greek. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople promotes the expansion of the Christian faith and Eastern Orthodox doctrine, and the ecumenical patriarchs are involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, charitable work, and the defense of Orthodox Christian traditions.
Relations with the Turkish state are complex. The Patriarchate lacks full legal personality, non-Turkish clergy face residency constraints, and the Halki theological school has been closed since 1971. The Greek Orthodox minority in Turkey is reported to have dwindled to roughly 1,500 people, primarily comprising elderly individuals, though demographic estimates vary. Despite this, the Phanar remains the mother church of worldwide Orthodoxy, and pilgrims from across the globe visit Istanbul and Trabzon to venerate its ancient holy places.
Turkey also hosts significant Oriental Orthodox and Syriac Christian communities (Armenian Apostolic, Syriac Orthodox), which are distinct from and not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church described here.
Asked
of this land.
Frequently asked questions about Orthodoxy in Turkey
Where is the Ecumenical Patriarchate located?
Since 1586 the Ecumenical Patriarchate has had its headquarters in the Church of St George in the Fener (Phanar) district of Istanbul.
How many Eastern Orthodox Christians live in Turkey today?
Exact figures are not published, but reliable estimates suggest a total Eastern Orthodox population of roughly 20,000 — a few thousand Greek Orthodox faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate mostly in Istanbul, and about 18,000 Arabic-speaking Antiochian Orthodox in Hatay province, who are faithful to the Patriarchate of Antioch, although it is now seated in Damascus.
Must the Ecumenical Patriarch be a Turkish citizen?
Yes. According to Turkish law, the patriarch is subject to the authority of the state of Turkey and is required to be a citizen of Turkey to be patriarch.
Why is the Halki theological school closed?
It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the Turkish parliament enacted a law banning private higher education institutions in 1971. It has remained shuttered since then despite ongoing international calls for its reopening.
Is Hagia Sophia still an Orthodox church?
No. Hagia Sophia was built as an Eastern Orthodox church between 532 and 537 under Justinian I; in subsequent centuries it became a Roman Catholic cathedral, an Eastern Orthodox church again, a mosque, a museum, and in 2020 it was reconverted into a functioning mosque.
What language is used in Orthodox worship in Turkey?
Services at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and in Istanbul's Greek Orthodox parishes are celebrated primarily in Greek, while the Antiochian Orthodox parishes of Hatay province use Arabic, with some Greek.