Originally written in Turkish, Sezim Sezer Darnault’s study of Catholic buildings in Istanbul is the first major work on the history of Catholic architecture in a city usually associated with being a Greek Orthodox or Armenian centre. With the proclamation of the Tanzimat edict in 1839, the various Christian groups embarked on church building, and this included the city’s Catholic population. Most Catholics were foreigners or Latins (Levantines), but Istanbul was also a centre of Greek and Armenian Catholicism, something which is evidenced by Istanbul’s churches. In this work, Darnault concentrates on the Latin Churches. In the case that they still exist, Darnault has visited and photographed the churches for this work, while for those which have been demolished, she has collected information on their history. Darnault’s work is a valuable source for those interested in the history of Latins in the Ottoman Empire, architecture and, more generally, non-Muslims in Istanbul.
