First Orthodox church to be built in Turkey since 1923
Municipal authorities in Istanbul have given the go-ahead for the construction of the first Orthodox church in the city since 1923, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Wednesday.
The mayor of the city’s Bakirkoy district, Bulent Kerimoglu, told reporters that licenses have been issued and that the project will be completed in two years, during a meeting with the Syriac Orthodox Church’s metropolitan on Wednesday.
The new church, which is expected to accommodate 700 worshippers, will be built in the district of Yesilkoy, which is close to Istanbul’s international airport, the paper said.