Bulgarian St. Stephen Church: the iron church of Balat

Updated on October 4, 2026

On the shore of the Golden Horn, between Fener and Balat, the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church (Sveti Stefan, "Demir Kilise" in Turkish) looks as if it were built of white stone: it is in fact made of cast iron and steel parts. These elements, about 500 tonnes, were produced in Vienna by the firm R. Ph. Waagner between 1893 and 1896, shipped along the Danube and across the Black Sea, then bolted and riveted together on site to plans by the architect Hovsep Aznavour. The church, a cross-shaped basilica with three domes, was consecrated on 8 September 1898 by Exarch Joseph I. Restored from 2011 to 2017 as a Turkish-Bulgarian cooperation project, it reopened on 7 January 2018 in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. It is still an active Bulgarian Orthodox place of worship and can be visited free of charge; allow 30 minutes.

Highlights

The waterfront façade

Seen from the garden and the quay, the church lines up pinnacles, rose windows and neo-Gothic windows, topped by a 40-metre bell tower crowned with a gilded onion dome. Its six bells were cast in Yaroslavl, in Russia. Up close, the joints between the metal panels give away the prefabricated construction; also look for the maker's mark "R. Ph. Waagner Vienne" on some of the parts.

The iconostasis and the nave

The carved and gilded wooden iconostasis fills the whole back of the chancel, with rows of icons around the royal doors. Crystal chandeliers, galleries and gilded coffered vaults complete a neo-Baroque decor that comes as a surprise in a metal building. The fairly compact nave takes only a few minutes to walk round.

The columns and side aisles

Columns with gilded capitals separate the nave from the side aisles, where many icons hang. The tiled floor and wooden pews are a reminder that the church still serves Istanbul's Bulgarian community, which celebrates the liturgy here.

The history of the Bulgarian Exarchate

The church replaced a wooden church set up in 1849 in a house donated by Stefan Bogoridi. It was there that the Ottoman firman creating the Bulgarian Exarchate, a Bulgarian Church independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, was first read on 28 February 1870. The garden holds a few graves, including that of Bishop Hilarion of Makariopolis, one of the leading figures of that movement.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Entry is free. On Sunday mornings, during the liturgy, access is supervised: come on a weekday if you want to move around freely. The church may close for ceremonies and on certain holidays. Modest dress is recommended (shoulders and knees covered); during services, stay at the back and avoid taking photos. Combine the visit with the lanes of Balat and Fener and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a few minutes' walk away, then head up to Chora Church. For the city's other Christian and Jewish places of worship, see our guide to Istanbul's churches and synagogues. Information as observed in October 2026.

How to get there

Mürselpaşa Caddesi, Balat, 34087 Fatih, Istanbul, on the shore of the Golden Horn, in the garden that runs along the quay. Tram T5 (Eminönü-Alibeyköy), Balat or Fener stations, a few minutes' walk away. Şehir Hatları ferry on the Golden Horn (Haliç) line, Balat and Fener stops. Bus 99A from Eminönü, Fener and Balat stops.