Fener (;
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Φανάρι, ''Phanári''; in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
also: Phanar) is a quarter midway up the
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...
in the district of
Fatih
Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...
in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. Its name is a
Turkish transliteration of the word "phanarion" (
Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman c ...
: Φανάριον), meaning lantern, streetlight or lamppost and it was so called because of a column topped with a lantern which stood here in the Byzantine period and was used as a street light or lighthouse.
Fener was a traditionally Greek neighbourhood during the Ottoman era and its streets still contain many old stone houses and
churches dating from
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and
Ottoman times. The grand mansions between the main road and the shore of the Golden Horn were often used to store wood imported from the Black Sea (Pontos) area; one now houses Istanbul's Women's Library. Their picturesque facades were damaged as a result of street-widening work from the 1930s onwards.
Fener is sandwiched between Cibali and Balat on the southern shore of the Golden Horn. The steep hills behind it run up to the Fatih neighbourhood.
Fener is served by the T5 tram line which links it with Cibali and the small bus terminal (for buses to Anatolia) at
Alibeyköy. The Golden Horn ferry also stops at Fener, linking it to
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; ...
,
Karaköy
Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus.
Karaköy is one of the oldest an ...
,
Kasımpaşa, Balat,
Ayvansaray
Ayvansaray is a picturesque neighbourhood on the Golden Horn in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, between Balat and Eyüp. It lies inside what was the walled city on Constantinople and later of İstanbul and corresponds to the old quarter ...
,
Hasköy Hasköy may refer to the following places in Turkey:
* Hasköy, Istanbul, a quarter or neighborhood of the district of Beyoğlu in Istanbul
* Hasköy, Ardahan, a village in the district of Ardahan, Ardahan Province
* Hasköy, Çınar
* Hasköy, ...
,
Sütlıce and
Eyüp
Eyüp () or Eyüpsultan is a district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to the shore of the Black Sea. Eyüp is also the name of a prominent neighborhood and former village in the district, l ...
.
History
After the
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...
in 1453, Fener became home to many of the
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...
living in the city. The
Patriarchate of Constantinople also moved here and remains here today. As a result, the term "Phanar" is sometimes used as a shorthand reference to the
Ecumenical Patriarchate
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
, just as "Vatican" is used for the Holy See of the Roman
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
.
During the Ottoman period, the Greek inhabitants of Fener were called
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumeni ...
and often served the Sultan in important roles. Wealthy Phanariotes often served as ''
dragomans'' (translators) or became the governors of provinces in the Balkans and Greece. Several served as
hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or " master".
Etymology and Slavic usage
In the Slavonic language, ''hospodar'' is usually applied to the master/owner of a house or other properties and also the head of a family. ...
s of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
and
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
between 1711 and 1821.
Attractions
Fener's most notable attraction is the walled compound that encloses the
Patriarchal church of St. George, home to the patriarch who is still titular head of the Orthodox community worldwide. The current holder of the office is
Patriarch Batholomew I. The patriarchate moved here in 1602 but a fire in 1720 destroyed the original basilican church on the site. Another fire in 1941 did further damage to the older buildings in the compound; aside from the church itself and the brick-and-stone library at the end of the garden most of what a visitor sees today is fairly new. The Middle Gate (Orta Kapı) leading into the compound has been sealed since the then Patriarch was hanged there in 1821 when Greece rebelled against Ottoman suzerainty. Crowds, including visitors from
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
, flock here for the celebration of
Greek Orthodox Easter.
The
Church of St Mary of the Mongols (Panagia Muhliotissa, Theotokos Panagiotussa), inland and uphill from the Patriarchate, is interesting as the one church in Constantinople that was never turned into a mosque, even after the Conquest of Istanbul in 1453. The architect
Atık Sinan (not to be confused with the better known Mimar Sinan) is said to have persuaded Sultan Mehmet II to allow it to continue providing services for the Greek population and a copy of the ''ferman'' (edict) decreeing this still hangs on the church wall.
Near the Church of St Mary of the Mongols is the huge red-brick Fener
GreThe historian
Dimitri Cantemir was a student here in the 17th century. Today it has only a tiny number of pupils. A second Greek school in Fener, the Maraşlı Greek Orthodox Primary School, is also an imposing building but no longer has any pupils.
Battered remnants of the
Sea Walls
A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...
that used to close
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
off from the Golden Horn still skirt Fener. The
Ayakapı gate through the walls is believed to have been designed by Mimar
Sinan in 1562.
The back streets of Fener are full of two and three-storied terraced houses often with ''cumbas'' (bay windows) as well as a handful of much grander houses. Many have been converted to house cafes, restaurants and tourist accommodation.
Blessing of the Waters
As elsewhere in the Orthodox world, every 6 January - the
Feast of the Epiphany
Epiphany ( ), also known as Theophany in Eastern Christian traditions, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ.
In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not ...
- a ceremony called the ''Blessing of the Waters'' take place in which a priest tosses a cross into water and swimmers race to see who can bring it back to shore first. In Istanbul this ceremony is performed by the Patriarch who tosses a cross into the Golden Horn to be retrieved by the swimmers.
Gallery
File:Constantinople Fener 1900.jpg, alt=The Fener c. 1900, Fener district in c. 1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
File:Church of St George 8763.jpg, alt=Exterior of St. George's Cathedral. The facade shows a neo-Classical influence which makes it quite distinct from Orthodox churches in the Byzantine style, Exterior of St. George's Cathedral. The neo-Classical facade marks it out from other Orthodox church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (d ...
es in the Byzantine style
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire.
The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the ...
File:Patriarchal residence.JPG, alt=The Patriarchal residence in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Fener, Residence of the patriarch in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
in Fener
File:StMaryOfTheMongols20071010 01.jpg, The Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols
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: '' ...
viewed from South
File:Phanar Greek Orthodox college Vodina.JPG, The Phanar Greek Orthodox College
Phanar Greek Orthodox College or Phanar Roman Orthodox Lyceum ( tr, Özel Fener Rum Lisesi), known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation and Patriarchal Academy of Constantinople ( el, Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή, ''Megáli t ...
seen from a Rum house in ''Vodina Caddesi''
File:MaraşlıGreekPrimarySchool (2).jpg, Maraşlı Greek Orthodox Primary School. Built in the Ottoman era and funded by Grigorios Maraslis
Grigorios Maraslis ( el, Γρηγόριος Μαρασλής, russian: Григорий Григорьевич Маразли; 25 July 1831 – 1 May 1907) was an official of the Russian Empire and long-time mayor of Odesa (1878–1895) of Greek or ...
, it is not in use today
File:A Muslim seminary in Phanar - P1030362.JPG, alt=A madrasa in Fener, A madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
in Fener
See also
*
Bulgarian iron church of St. Stephen of the Bulgars
*
Church of St George
*
Church of St. Mary of the Mongols
*
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...
, currently
Bartholomew I of Constantinople
Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is
the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the '' ...
*
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
*
Greeks in Turkey
) constitute a small population of Greek and Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Christians who mostly live in Istanbul, as well as on the two islands of the western entrance to the Dardanelles: Imbros and Tenedos ( tr, Gökçeada and ''Bozcaada''). ...
*
Phanar Greek Orthodox College
Phanar Greek Orthodox College or Phanar Roman Orthodox Lyceum ( tr, Özel Fener Rum Lisesi), known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation and Patriarchal Academy of Constantinople ( el, Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή, ''Megáli t ...
*
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumeni ...
*
Greektown
Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.
History
The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Istanb ...
References
External links
The Ecumenical Patriarchate: HomeIstanbul's Women's Library in Fener
{{Authority control
Byzantine culture
Golden Horn
Greece–Turkey relations
Greek Orthodoxy in Turkey
Quarters of Fatih