Santa María Draperis (Istanbul)

Marian vocation of Istanbul (Beyoğlu) (Istanbul)
Recognized by the Church

It is one of the oldest Latin Catholic parishes in Istanbul, of origin linked to the Genovese community of Pera. The current church, in the Beyoğlu district next to the Istiklal Caddesi, dates back to the XVIII- XIX centuries, following several fires that destroyed previous buildings. It is guarded by the Franciscans and serves a Turkish and Italian Catholic community.

Main data

Origin and history

It is one of the oldest Latin Catholic parishes in Istanbul, of origin linked to the Genovese community of Pera. The current church, in the Beyoğlu district next to the Istiklal Caddesi, dates back to the XVIII- XIX centuries, following several fires that destroyed previous buildings. It is guarded by the Franciscans and serves a Turkish and Italian Catholic community.

The image and the sanctuary

The temple houses a very venerated image of the Virgin, brought by the Draperis family from Pera, from where it takes its name. The accessible documentation mentions it generic as Santa María Draperis, without a more specific officially recognized advocation. According to local tradition, the Marian image survived several fires that destroyed previous buildings, which reinforced the devotion of the faithful; it is a pious tradition, not an officially declared miracle.

Sponsorship and coronation

There is no record of formal patronage or canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The Assumption and the main Marian parties of the Roman calendar are held; there is no party of its own with a date different from the generals. Devotion focuses on the titular image of the Virgin preserved in the church.

Link to the Rosary

As a Latin Catholic parish, he maintains the prayer of the Rosary and the ordinary Marian devotions. The permanence of the image through the fires feeds a Marian piety that finds in the Rosary its usual form of community prayer.