Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

The Cathedral Church of St. George (Greek: Καθεδρικός ναός του Αγίου Γεωργίου; Turkish: Aya Yorgi Kilisesi) is the principal Eastern Orthodox cathedral located in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and, as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453, and of the Ottoman Empire until 1922. Since about 1600, it has been the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople whose leader is regarded as the primus inter pares (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and as the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.The church, dedicated to the Christian martyr Saint George, is the site of numerous important services, and is where the patriarch will consecrate the chrism (myron) on Holy and Great Thursday, when needed. For this reason, the church is also known as the "Patriarchal Church of the Great Myrrh". At one time, the patriarch would consecrate all of the chrism used throughout the entire Orthodox Church. However, now the heads of most of the autocephalous churches sanctify their own myrrh. The church is located in the Fener (Phanar) district of Istanbul, north-west of the historic centre of old Constantinople. (Its address is Fener Rum Patrikhanesi, Sadrazam Ali Pasa Cadesi, Fener 34220, Istanbul.) It is a relatively small church, especially so considering its status in world Christianity; this, however, can be explained by the Islamic laws of the Ottoman Empire that governed the rights of dhimmis, which stipulate that all non-Islamic buildings must be smaller and humbler than corresponding Islamic buildings such as mosques: prior to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the church of the Patriarchate was the Hagia Sophia (also known as the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom). The church is open to the public from 8.30 am to 4 pm, but strict security screening is in place, as a measure against the possibility of an attack from Islamic extremist groups. It is visited by a stream of pilgrims from Greece and other Orthodox countries. Behind the church are the offices of the Patriarchate and the Patriarchate Library. The church, which was part of a convent or monastery before becoming the seat of the Patriarch, is outwardly unimpressive, but its interior is lavishly decorated.

Fener (Turkish pronunciation: [feˈnæɾ]; historically in Greek: Φανάρι, Phanári; in English also: Phanar) is a quarter midway up the Golden Horn within the district of Fatih in Istanbul, Turkey. The streets in the area are full of historic wooden mansions, churches, and synagogues dating from the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. The wooden mansions between the main axis and the shore were often used for importing wood from Pontus or the Black Sea area. Their picturesque facades were largely destroyed due to street widening requirements in the 1930s and later. The area's name is a Turkish transliteration of the original word "fanarion" (Medieval Greek: Φανάριον) (a lighting lantern, a streetlight, a lightpost with a light lantern). It was so called for a column topped with a lantern which stood there in the Byzantine period – used as a public light or marine and/or other purpose locator/beacon. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Fener district became home to many of the Greeks in the city. The Patriarchate of Constantinople moved to the area as well and is still located there. As a result, "Phanar(i)" (the traditional spelling) is often used as shorthand for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, just as "Vatican" is used for the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church. During the Ottoman period, the Greek inhabitants of Fener were called "Phanariotes" and were important assistants to the Sultan in various capacities and offices. Wealthy Phanariotes were appointed as governors over provinces in Turkish Europe and Greece, and as hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1711 and 1821. The Phanar contains the patriarchal cathedral of St. George. Its main entrance is never opened since the then Patriarch was hanged there in 1821, at the time of Greek independence. The oldest surviving Greek school in Istanbul, Özel Fener Rum Lisesi, is found in Fener. The school was established in 1454. An important Bulgarian church, St. Stephen ("The Iron Church"), lies between the patriarchate and the shore of the Golden Horn. There are a number of other barely used Greek Orthodox churches.

The 557 Constantinople earthquake took place on the night of December 14. This earthquake, described in the works of Agathias, John Malalas, and Theophanes the Confessor, caused great damage to Constantinople, then capital of the Byzantine Empire in a region frequently afflicted with earthquakes. More minor quakes had preceded the large event, including two in April and October respectively. The main quake in December was of unparalleled ferocity, and "almost completely razed" the city. It caused damage to the Hagia Sophia which contributed to the collapse of its dome the next year, as well as damaging the walls of Constantinople to the extent that Hun invaders were able to penetrate it with ease the following season.

The Yavuz Selim Mosque, also known as the Selim I Mosque and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque (Turkish: Yavuz Selim Camii) is a 16th-century Ottoman imperial mosque located at the top of the 5th Hill of Istanbul, Turkey, in the neighborhood of Çukurbostan, overlooking the Golden Horn. Its size and geographic position make it a familiar landmark on the Istanbul skyline.

Phanar Greek Orthodox College or Phanar Roman Orthodox Lyceum (Turkish: Özel Fener Rum Lisesi), known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation (Greek: Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή, Megáli toú Genous Scholí), is the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, Turkey. The school, like all minority schools in Turkey, is a secular school.

Saint Mary of the Mongols (full name in Greek: Θεοτόκος Παναγιώτισσα (pr. Theotókos Panaghiótissa, lit. "All-Holy Theotokos") or Παναγία Μουχλιώτισσα (pr. Panaghía Muchliótissa); Turkish name: Kanlı Kilise (meaning: Bloody Church), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul. It is the only remaining Byzantine church of Constantinople that has never been converted to a mosque, always remaining open to the Greek Orthodox Church.

Bulgarian St Stephen Church (Bulgarian: Църква "Свети Стефан"; Turkish: Sveti Stefan Kilisesi), also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, Istanbul, Turkey. It is famous for being made of prefabricated cast iron elements in the neo-Byzantine style. The church belongs to the Bulgarian minority in the city.

Fındıkzade is a quarter in the European side of Istanbul, located in the north side of Fatih, the province's capital district (the walled city), lying between the quarters of Topkapı and Aksaray, and adjacent to the Hasseki, Yusufpaşa and Çapa quarters. The main roads of this quarter are Millet Caddesi (now called Turgut Özal Millet Caddesi) and Vatan Caddesi (now called Adnan Menderes Vatan Caddesi). Three of the major city's hospitals are located here, making of it one of the most important health district in Istanbul.

Çukurbostan is a quarter of the European side of Istanbul located in the north side of the Fatih district (the walled city). Although it is difficult to define exactly its boundary, Çukurbostan lies between the neighbourhoods of Balat and Atikali. In the quarter are located the Yavuz Selim Mosque and the Byzantine Cistern of Aspar. The cistern was used in the Ottoman period as a vegetable garden, and its name Çukurbostan ("sunken garden") gave the name to the quarter.

The Cistern of Aspar (Greek: ἡ τοῦ Ἂσπαρος κινστέρνη) or Great Cistern (Greek: μεγίστη κινστέρνη), known in Turkish as Sultan Selim Çukurbostanı ("sunken garden of Sultan Selim"), was a Byzantine open-air water reservoir in the city of Constantinople.

The Cistern of Pulcheria (Greek: Κινστέρνα Πουλχερίας, Turkish: Pulcheria Sarnıcı) is a Byzantine period covered cistern built in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey).

The Pammakaristos Church, also known as the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos (Greek: Θεοτόκος ἡ Παμμακάριστος, "All-Blessed Mother of God"), is one of the most famous Byzantine churches in Istanbul, Turkey, and was the last pre-Ottoman building to house the Ecumenical Patriarchate.. Converted in 1591 into the Fethiye Mosque (Turkish: Fethiye Camii, "mosque of the conquest"), it is today partly a museum housed in a side chapel or parekklesion. One of the most important examples of Constantinople's Palaiologan architecture, the church contains the largest quantity of Byzantine mosaics in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia and Chora Church. The church-mosque is in the Çarşamba neighbourhood of the Fatih district inside the walled city of Istanbul.