In a city whose skyline is spiked with thousands of minarets, it is sometimes forgotten just how many churches are snuggled in the back streets of the older sections of Istanbul.
One of the most important is also one of the most ignored. Those who enjoy a good bit of architecture, or a story, or a walk, should consider visiting St. John of Stoudios.
Stoudios is located in the wedge of land between the Theodosian Walls and the coast of the Marmara, now called Samatya. It was founded in 462 by a Patrician expat from Italy called Studius. What remains today is a fragment of the original monastic complex, which at one time was home to over a thousand monks.
These monks were hardcore even by Byzantine monk standards. The monastery was perpetually lit, which meant that there was no time of the day when the lights were extinguished and everyone got to catch some zees. Besides the mundane tasks that kept them fed and clean, the monks were continually scratching away at their manuscripts. Indeed, they were renowned for their calligraphy and many of their embossed manuscripts are now in museums around Europe.
More evidence of a tradition of monkish badassery was the fact that they stuck by their icons during the cataclysmic Iconoclast Controversy of the eighth century. Iconodules, they risked excommunication, banishment and even death for retaining faith in their pictures of Christ and the Saints. The monastery was shut down for decades during this period.
The chapel you see to today is probably the oldest religious building in Istanbul, and for that fact alone it is worth the trip. Stoudios shows its venerable age by being a domeless basilica, which was the go-to design for churches in these early centuries. One of its most famous features is its pavement, made of sliced stone, depicting figurative images. Sadly, this is open to the elements today after devastating fires over the centuries.
St. John of Stoudios is currently not open to the public, and the custodians have a zero-tolerance policy for friendly drop-ins. As discovered by Yabangee staff, their large dog has the same principle with regard to wall scaling. Furthermore, the church is currently being converted into a mosque, which will save the structure, though perhaps at the cost of its legacy.
So although you may not be able to poke around the inside of the church, walking around the outside and exploring Samatya proper is a fun way to inject some history into your life.
St. John of Stoudios (Imrahor Camii)
İmam Aşir Sk No:1
Yedikule
Timothy Mottram is a contributor to Yabangee and blogs at http://theistanbulletin.com/
Insider Trading is our new column sharing expats’ secret finds in Istanbul. These recommendations are unsolicited and uncompensated. Have a place you want to share? Send email to emma@yabangee.com.
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