Upper Aya Yani Church

Konak / İzmir

Upper Aya Yani Church

Here is Upper Aya Yani Church; only the door of bell tower and the entrance section could survive to present day. In historical records this church is referred as Agios Ioannis Theologos. We don't know when exactly it was first built as, but it is known to be one of the oldest Orthodox churches. It was completely renovated in 1804.

Epitaph on the door reads 'The bell tower was constructed from scratch with donations of the Orthodox community on 7 August 1859 for the beautification of this church, dedicated to theologian John', reminding us of all the structures that were lost when they were built with hope.

The door under the bell tower opens to an arched vaulted structure. Left side of this vault opens to the annex of the church, which was under St. John Theologos School, and right side opens to the church's garden. Today, ruins of this church are located in the yard of Ismet Pasha Primary School.

Upper Aya Yani District, which was named after the church, was located between Turkish and Jewish neighbourhoods. By the end of 19th century, there were 378 people living in 8 streets in the Upper Aya Yani neighbourhood, of which 353 were Greek.

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