Located in Sisli, St. Why Was The Statue of the Pope in Esprit Cathedral Made?
Let us briefly examine the statue of Pope Benedict 15, which was made during the years when the British occupied Istanbul.
St. in Sisli-Harbiye in the middle of Istanbul. There is the Esper Church. In the garden of the cathedral there is a statue of Pope Benedict 15:
Why Was This Sculpture Made?
This statue was made in order to show the existence and dominance of the occupation forces to the whole world during the occupation years of Istanbul. During the occupation years, this Pope Benedict 15 was in the papal seat in the Vatican and the invaders are determined to send a message to the whole world by erecting the statue of the current pope in Istanbul, which was conquered by the conqueror.
The construction cost of this statue was 6980 liras, 500 liras of which was covered by Vahdettin and he became the biggest sponsor of the pope statue erected in the heart of Istanbul. They call the statues of Ataturk, the founder/saviour of the country, idols, but look, Vahdettin, who is called the grandfather/ancestor, has erected the statue of the Pope in the middle of Istanbul…
St. A Note On What Esprit Cathedral Is
The cathedral was built by the famous architect Gaspard Fossati by the Pope’s Istanbul representative, Monsignor Hillereau. The construction of the church began in 1845 and was opened for worship in 1846. The church, which could not be built well due to impossibilities and was damaged due to frequent earthquakes, was renovated on 13 June 1865 and opened for worship on 31 December 1865.
The facade of the cathedral was closed by the Notre Dame de Sion girls’ high school. While Monsignor Hillereau was building the church of Saint Espit, an underground cemetery was also prepared for the burial of nuns and believers in Saint Espit. In the underground cemetery, whose burial continued until 1927, there are the tombs of the famous musician of the palace, Giuseppe Donizetti, the founder of the church, Monsignor Hillereau and other families.
