St. Stephen Church (Iron Church)
About St. Stephen Church (Iron Church)
The Iron Church, officially known as the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, is a 19th-century Orthodox church located along the Golden Horn in the Balat district of Istanbul.
Built entirely of prefabricated cast iron, it was manufactured in Vienna and shipped to Istanbul for assembly in 1898.
The church served the Bulgarian community of Ottoman Empire and symbolizes Bulgaria’s religious independence.
It is also a proof of leniency showed by Ottoman Empire for different cultures and lifestyles. Its neo-Gothic design and iron structure make it a unique example of 19th-century ecclesiastical architecture.
