Christianity in Turkey
Many years ago, before Turks immigrated to what we now call “Turkey”, the land belonged to many other countries and empires. Currently in Turkey there are lots of people from different races, colors, and religions. Although most of the Turks are Muslims, many Christians, Jews, etc., live in Turkey. The Ottoman Empire, which ruled these lands before Turkey, applied a policy called tolerance policy to the people living in the conquered lands, regardless of their religion and language. They did not destroy the churches of the Christians, who were the majority in the lands they conquered at that time, and allowed them to practice their religion freely. Good thing they implemented this policy, for if they hadn't, one of the magnificent, important churches and places for Christians, which has an important place in history, could not be found in Turkey. Let me talk a little about these important places for Christians:
1) The Church of Saint Peter: The Church of Saint Peter is composed of a cave carved into Mount Starius with a depth of 42 ft. and a height of 23 ft. This cave is one of Christianty’s oldest churches. It is located in the south of Turkey, a city called Hatay. The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from at least the 4th or 5th century. The garden of the church has been used as a cemetery for hundreds of years. Graves and burials have also been located inside the church, especially around the altar. The church is the burial place of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, as well as one of the three final resting places of the remains of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who died in the Third Crusade. Today, the church is a museum, but it is still possible to perform worship services inside the church under the inspection of the Museum Management by obtaining a permit from the Office of the Provincial Governor.
2) House of the Virgin Mary: The house of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus (Efes in Turkish), Izmir, Turkey. The house was discovered in the 19th century following the reported dreams of a Catholic nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich. The Catholic Church has not commented on whether the house is truly the Virgin Marys, but the house has been regularly receiving pilgrimages since it was discovered. Catholic pilgrims visit this house believing that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was brought there by Saint John. Where she then lived in this house until she was taken to heaven.
Outside the temple, there is a kind of wishing wall made of intentions written by visitors on paper or fabric that then they tie to the wall. It has an array of fruit trees, and flowers surrounding it, with additional lighting outside the sanctuary for a better view of the house. There is also a fountain or well that some visitors believe has extraordinary fertility and healing powers. House still open for visitors and pilgrims.
3) Hagia Sophia: Holy Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia: an antique place of worship in Istanbul. Built in 537 by Justinian I as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial capital in Constantinople. It was the largest Christian church of the eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, hence why it was so important. The church was converted into a mosque immediately after Mehmet the Conqueror conquered Istanbul. After that, this church/mosque became a very important place for both Muslims and Christians. Today this place is a mosque and Muslim do their prayers here; also every person regardless of religion can visit this place today.