Religious Institutions

Religious Institutions in Istanbul

Although the population is mostly Muslim, Istanbul has a number of working churches and synagogues because of its multi-religious history.  The Patriarchy of the Greek Orthodox church is headquartered here and there are many other Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches.  St. Antoine and St. Esprit are the two main Roman Catholic churches. St. Antoine has services in Turkish, English, Italian, and Polish, while St. Esprit offers masses in English and French. The Anglican (Episcopal) community has services at Christ Church (the Crimean Memorial Church).  The Union Church of Istanbul holds nondenominational Protestant services in the Dutch chapel.

The main synagogues of the city are Neve Shalom in Galata, Ahrida Synagogue in Balat, Etz Ahayim Synagogue in Ortaköy, and Hemdat Israel Synagogue in Haydarpaşa.