[23] Shortly after the defence of the Walls of Constantinople collapsed and the Ottoman troops entered the city victoriously, the pillagers and looters made their way to the Hagia Sophia and battered down its doors before storming in. [80] There is an Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey.[81]. [12] The Eastern Orthodox Church has been headquartered in Constantinople since the 4th century. Besides Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church (translation: the Holy Mother-of-God Armenian Patriarchal Church) in Kumkapi, Istanbul, there are tens of Armenian Apostolic churches. Antioch is the official seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. [44][45] In 2016 the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey released a report warning of an increase in anti-Christian hate speech. St. Philip settled in Hierapolis but was killed together his family by the Romans. [59], In 2015 the Turkish government gave permission for the Christian channel SAT-7 to broadcast on the government-regulated Türksat satellite. Antioch, located in Turkey's Hatay province, is the original seat of the namesake Antiochian Orthodox Church, but is now the titular see. Historically, the Armenian Church accepted only the first three Ecumenical Councils, rejecting the Council of Chalcedon in 451; its Christology is sometimes described as "non-Chalcedonian" for this reason. The Syriac Orthodox Church has a strong presence in Mardin. Once the three days passed, he would then claim its remaining contents for himself. [60], By the 21st-century, Turkey's Greek Orthodox population had declined to only around 2,000–3,000. In modern times the percentage of Christians in Turkey has declined from 20–25 percent in 1914 to 3–5.5 percent in 1927, to 0.3–0.4% today roughly translating to 200,000–320,000 devotees. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, many of the early Christians, escaping from persecutions in Jerusalem, came to Asia Minor and settled in different cities like Ephesus, Hierapolis and Cappadocia. [29] Kurdish military plundered Armenian and other Christian villages. After the Mongols defeated the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258, the Armenians and Nestorians had decent relations with the conquering Il-khans for a time, but by the end of the 14th-century many Syrian Orthodox and Nestorian churches were destroyed when the Turco-Mongolian ruler Temür raided West Asia.[16]. The Chaldean Branch is based primarily in Istanbul, although its church structure is centered in Diyarbakir. [63], By some estimates, in the early 2000s there were between 10,000 and 20,000 Catholics and Protestants in Turkey. Their property was plundered. Constantinople's primacy over the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch was reaffirmed at the Council of Chalcedon in 481, after which the papacy in Rome supported Constantinople in its dispute with Alexandria over monophysitism. According to Bekir Bozdağ, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, there were 349 active churches in Turkey in October 2012: 140 Greek, 58 Assyrian and 52 Armenian. Istanbul is also where the Patriarchate of Greek Orthodox Christianity is located. Today the Christian population of Turkey is estimated at around 200,000- 320,000 Christians. In modern times the percentage of Christians in Turkey has declined from 20–25 percent in 1914 to 3–5.5 percent in 1927, to 0.3–0.4% today[1][2] roughly translating to 200,000–320,000 devotees. [24], Throughout the period of the siege of Constantinople, the trapped worshippers of the city participated in the Divine Liturgy and the Prayer of the Hours at the Hagia Sophia and the church formed a safe-haven and a refuge for many of those who were unable to contribute to the city's defence, which comprised women, children, elderly, the sick and the wounded. Today, approximately 120,000 Christians and 26,000 Jews live in Turkey, out of almost 80 million of the total population. [19], In accordance with the traditional custom at the time, Sultan Mehmed II allowed his troops and his entourage three full days of unbridled pillage and looting in the city shortly after it was captured. "[41], A number of high-profile incidents targeting non-Muslims, including Christians, have occurred since the modern Turkish Republic was founded in 1923. As of 2008[update] estimates of Turkey's Armenian Orthodox population range from between 50,000 and 70,000.[64]. 1977. There is also a small group of ethnic Orthodox-Christian Turks (mostly living in Istanbul or Izmir) who follow the Greek Orthodox or Syriac Orthodox church and additionally Protestant Turks who still face difficulties regarding social acceptance and also historic claims to churches or property in the country because they are from recent converts from Muslim Turkish backgrounds (rather than ethnic minorities). Hatay Province including Antakya is not part of the canonic area of the Church of Constantinople. Two out of the five centers of the ancient Pentarchy are in Turkey: Constantinople (Istanbul) and Antioch (Antakya). Gradually, Christianity in Turkey disintegrated, so that when the Islamic Ottomans finally conquered the Byzantine Empire, it was inevitable that what had been a predominantly Christian region would be no more. One church minister said "We wanted the Turks first to become Armenian". The Christian population of the West Syriac Rite probably has the most regional influence in Turkey, as its population was not confined to or was centered in Istanbul like the rest of the Christian communities of Turkey were. [39], The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) designated Turkey a "Country of Particular Concern" for religious freedom, noting “systematic limitations on the freedom of religion or belief” with respect to access to places of worship, religious education and right to train clergy. Many Syriacs left during the genocides in 1915. This number doubles if the killings during the 1890s are included. Turkey is also home to the Seven Churches of Asia, where the Revelations to John were sent. Heyne, München 1994. [64], The Anglicans in Turkey form part of the Eastern Archdeaconry of the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe. Up until the 1980s the Syriac population was concentrated there as well, but a large amount of the population has fled the region to Istanbul or abroad due to the Kurdish-Turkish conflict (1978-present). [42][43], In 2001, Turkey's National Security Council reported that it considers Protestant missionaries the third largest threat to Turkey's national security, surpassed only by Islamic fundamentalism and the Kurdish separatist organization PKK. After Armenians revolted against an oppressing tax system that favoured the Kurds, the Hamidiye suppressed the revolts with massacres, which the British blamed on the Ottoman regime (even though the initiative came from local militia). Prior to this time, the Christian population stood at around 20% -25% of the total. Turkey is also home to the Seven Churches of Asia, where the Revelation to John was sent. Under the terms of the peace treaty, 1.3 million Christian residents of Turkey were relocated to Greece and around 400,000 Muslims were likewise moved from Greece to Turkey. Around 1,000 Armenian churches throughout Turkey sit on public or privately owned land as well, with them all either being re-purposed or abandoned and/or in ruins. A 2004 report by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) similarly recommended implementing new laws to curb missionary activity. Alan Palmer: Verfall und Untergang des Osmanischen Reiches. The area, known for having ethnic diversity and large Christian community, has 7,000 Christians and 14 active churches. After the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II extended formal recognition to Catholics, an Armenian Catholic Patriarchate was established in Constantinople.