Inside the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in Istanbul
It was actually surprised to see a Catholic church here in Istanbul. I know that Türkiye is tolerant of other religions but I was still surprised to actually see one here. The Church of Saint Anthony of Padua was built in the eighteenth century by the Italian community in Istanbul. It has survived to this day. While it has the largest congregation as far as Catholic churches in Istanbul is concerned, it is best known for being the parish of Pope John XXIII before he was elected as pope. Pope John XXIII would later by proclaimed as Saint by the Catholic church.
Visiting the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua
It is a nice change to be able to visit a church in Istanbul since I have been seeing quite a few mosques the previous day. The Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in Istanbul isn’t a very large church. It is by no means basilica size but it seems to be enough for the use of the parishioners. The inside of the church has a very gothic feel to it. It isn’t on a level like you would see in European church but it is still nice enough. Inside isn’t as dark as gothic churches I have seen. It has stained glass windows here which help give light and a bit more color to the interior of the church. Parts of the church are cordoned off to keep tourists from disturbing the actual faithful. Anyone is able to come in here as long as they don’t cross the cordon. Most people would be just like me taking photos.
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