Fener | |
|---|---|
Quarter | |
 A street in Fener | |
  Fener | |
| Coordinates:41°01′44.00″N28°57′07″E / 41.0288889°N 28.95194°E /41.0288889; 28.95194 | |
| Country |  Turkey |
| Region | Marmara |
| Province | Istanbul |
| District | Fatih |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Area code | 0-212 |
Fener (Turkish pronunciation:[feˈnæɾ];Greek:Φανάρι,romanized: Phanári), also spelledPhanar, is a quarter midway up theGolden Horn in the district ofFatih inIstanbul,Turkey. TheTurkish name is derived from the Greek word "phanarion" (Medieval Greek: Φανάριον), meaning lantern, streetlight or lamppost;[1] the neighborhood was so called because of a column topped with a lantern which stood here in the Byzantine period and was used as a street light or lighthouse.
Fener was a traditionally Greek neighbourhood during the Ottoman era and its streets still contain many old stone houses andchurches dating fromByzantine andOttoman times. The grand mansions between the main road and the shore of the Golden Horn were often used to store wood imported from the Black Sea (Pontos) area; one now houses Istanbul's Women's Library. Their picturesque façades were damaged as a result of street-widening work from the 1930s onwards.
Fener is sandwiched between Cibali and Balat on the southern shore of the Golden Horn. The steep hills behind it run up to the Fatih neighbourhood.
Fener is served by the T5 tram line which links it with Cibali and the small bus terminal (for buses to Anatolia) atAlibeyköy. The Golden Horn ferry also stops at Fener, linking it toÜsküdar,Karaköy,Kasımpaşa, Balat,Ayvansaray,Hasköy,Sütlüce andEyüp.
After theFall of Constantinople in 1453, Fener became home to many of theGreeks living in the city. ThePatriarchate of Constantinople also moved here and remains here today. As a result, the term "Phanar" is sometimes used as a shorthand reference to theEcumenical Patriarchate, just as "Vatican" is used for the Holy See of the RomanCatholic Church.
During the Ottoman period, the Greek inhabitants of Fener were calledPhanariotes and often served the Sultan in important roles. Wealthy Phanariotes often served asdragomans (translators) or became the governors of provinces in the Balkans and Greece. Several served ashospodars ofWallachia andMoldavia between 1711 and 1821.
During WWI, the area was affected by theBritish bombing of Istanbul.[2]
Fener's most notable attraction is the walled compound that encloses thePatriarchal Church of St. George, home to the patriarch who is still head of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, one of fifteen to seventeen independent jurisdictions of theEastern Orthodox Church. The current holder of the office isPatriarch Batholomew I. The patriarchate moved here in 1602 but a fire in 1720 destroyed the original basilican church on the site. Another fire in 1941 did further damage to the older buildings in the compound; aside from the church itself and the brick-and-stone library at the end of the garden most of what a visitor sees today is fairly new. The Middle Gate (Orta Kapı) leading into the compound has been sealed since the then Patriarch was hanged there in 1821 when Greece rebelled against Ottoman suzerainty. Crowds, including visitors fromAthens, flock here for the celebration ofGreek Orthodox Easter.
TheChurch of St Mary of the Mongols (Panagia Muhliotissa, Theotokos Panagiotussa), inland and uphill from the Patriarchate, is interesting as the one church in Constantinople that was never turned into a mosque, even after the Conquest of Istanbul in 1453. The architectAtik Sinan (not to be confused with the better known Mimar Sinan) is said to have persuaded Sultan Mehmet II to allow it to continue providing services for the Greek population and a copy of theferman (edict) decreeing this still hangs on the church wall.
Near the Church of St Mary of the Mongols is the huge red-brickPhanar Greek Orthodox College. The historianDimitri Cantemir was a student here in the 17th century. Today it has only a tiny number of pupils. A second Greek school in Fener, the Maraşlı Greek Orthodox Primary School, is also an imposing building but no longer has any pupils.
Battered remnants of theSea Walls that used to closeConstantinople off from the Golden Horn still skirt Fener. TheAyakapı gate through the walls is believed to have been designed by MimarSinan in 1562.
The back streets of Fener are full of two and three-storied terraced houses often withcumbas (bay windows) as well as a handful of much grander houses. Many have been converted to house cafes, restaurants and tourist accommodation.[3]
As elsewhere in the Orthodox world, every 6 January - theFeast of the Epiphany - a ceremony called theBlessing of the Waters take place in which a priest tosses a cross into water and swimmers race to see who can bring it back to shore first. In Istanbul this ceremony is performed by the Patriarch who tosses a cross into the Golden Horn to be retrieved by the swimmers.
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