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Bulgar Orthodox Church in Istanbul's Balat (Golden Horn, center of Istanbul) was reopened recently after 7 years of restoration.
It is one of the most important Bulgarian churches worldwide. Dating back 19th century, it was built by the Ottoman administration and financed by the sultan himself, as a part of the process to officially recognize the Bulgars as an Orthodox entity and nation separate from the nation of Romans (Rums or Greeks), thus Greek patriarchate not having anymore authority on the Bulgarian believers.
Bulgarian religious leader and prime minister participated to the opening ceremony. This is the Only iron church in the world.
Construction of a new Assyrian church in Istanbul.
The first. Assyrians are the oldest Christian community in the world, living in Southeastern Turkey in Mardin region. Their community had no church in Istanbul and the state of Turkey granted them a land in the European side of Istanbul and financed the construction of a sizable church. Construction started in 2019 and is underway as of 2020.
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