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Church of Saint Mary Draperis, Istanbul

Saint Mary Draperis is a Catholic church in Istanbul, important for historical reasons. Established in 1678, the church is one of the most ancient Catholic parishes of Istanbul.

History
In 1453, a few months before the Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople, Observant Franciscan Friars completed the construction of the church of Saint Anthony of the Cypresses () in Sirkeci (at that time center of the venetian Merchants in Constantinople), on the southern bank of the Golden Horn, but soon after the Conquest they were forced to abandon it. After several peregrinations, in 1584 they moved to Galata, in the neighborhood of Mumhane (), where a Levantine woman, Clara Maria Draperis, endowed them a house with a tiny chapel. The altar of the chapel was adorned with a wooden icon portraying the Virgin Mary. The chapel burned completely in 1660, and the icon was rescued by a member of the Draperis family. Because of that, in order to rebuild the church the friars should have first asked for a Sultan's Firman allowing the reconstruction, but in absence of that the just rebuilt church was demolished in 1663 by the Ottoman government. The church is still officiated by reformed Franciscan friars who offer daily masses in Italian and mass in Spanish every Sunday. On March 25, 1911, the icon enshrined was pontifically crowned. ==Architecture and interior==
Architecture and interior
The complex has an entrance in neoclassical style - embellished by a statue of the Virgin in a niche - on Istiklal Caddesi, which is followed by a flight of steps leading downhill to the church. The edifice has a rectangular plan and is covered by a barrel vault - decorated in 1874 - and has three naves. The church has a bell tower with square plan, not visible from the road. The imposing main altar, erected in 1772, is made of pink Carrara marble and is adorned with the Icon donated by Maria Draperis. The church is adorned with four paintings, three being of Venetian school. The first on the right side entering the church - painted in 1873 - represents the immaculate Virgin with two Franciscan saints. The second represents Saint Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata at La Verna. To the left of the presbytery there is a painting representing the death of Saint Joseph assisted by Jesus and Mary, while another one near the entrance represent Saint Roch, protector against plague, an illness which hit Istanbul several times in the past. The Via Crucis, the statue of Saint Anthony and the fresco in the baptistery are all 1959 works of the Franciscan Father Alberto Farina. The two stained glass windows on the apse are of German school and represent Saint Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. Inside the church, several inscribed gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries (most of them in Italian or Latin) remember wealthy Levantine families, church's benefactors, bishops and Consuls of the European nations in Constantinople. ==Gallery==
Gallery
File:St Maria Draperis 1104.jpg|St Maria Draperis stairs to Istiklal Caddesi File:St Maria Draperis 1096.jpg|St Maria Draperis stairs from Istiklal Caddesi File:St Maria Draperis 6771.jpg|St Maria Draperis interior File:St Maria Draperis 6764.jpg|St Maria Draperis altar area File:St Maria Draperis 6767.jpg|St Maria Draperis ceiling in apse File:St Maria Draperis 1101.jpg|St Maria Draperis St. Francis of Assisi File:St Maria Draperis 1102.jpg|St Maria Draperis St. Clare of Assisi ==References==
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