Saint Vukolos Church Cultural Center

Saint Vukolos Church Cultural Center

Saint Vukolos Church, built in the name of St. Boukolos (St. Vukolos, St. Ayavukla), one of the first bishops of Smyrna, was built by the Greek Orthodox Community in the second half of the 19th century. The building, which continued to function as a church until 1922, became out of use when the community left Izmir, and in 1924 it was converted into the Asar-ı Atika Museum at Atatürk's request. The building, which was registered as a cultural asset to be protected with the circular number 152 dated 17 January 1975, was allocated to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality in 2003. With the restoration works started in 2008, the murals symbolizing the figure of Jesus, Saint John with the Golden Mouth and the angels Michael and Gabriel were also brought to light again. The outbuilding of the church was organized and put into service as the 'Izmir Press Museum.' Many cultural and artistic events such as concerts, exhibitions, theater performances are held in the cultural center. The center, which has a capacity of 200 people in seating arrangement, has a capacity of 300-350 people in reception order.