Ayvansaray, Balat and Fener

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This is a lovely area in which you will inevitably get lost. it used to be a zone of outlying summer palaces and monasteries. A couple of the palaces are still set into the walls. The remains of several others, particularly Blachernae and Bonos, rear up above the ground in unexpected ways. Inevitably, the palaces have churches associated with them. Most of the Byzantine churches around have gone or are disappearing fast.

However after the conquest, a strip of churches began to flourish along the Golden Horn. The Ecumenical Patriarchate was demoted to this area in the 16^th century and after a few false starts came to rest at the current location in Fener. The Feneriot empire began – the zone of rich non-Turks who made an excellent living negotiating between the providers of foreign goods and services and the Ottomans who found it demeaning to use other languages. Other patriarchates set up Metochions in the area and the breakaway Bulgars established their exarchate here.

Kanlı Kilise, The Church of Theotokos Panaghiotissa, The Mouchliotissa, “St Mary of the Mongols”

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Church of St Peter and St Mark/Atık Mustafa Paşa Camii/Kocamustafa Camii/Hasret-I Cabir

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Patriarchal Church of St George/The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate

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St Demetrios Xyloportas, Balat

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Vlach Saray/Church of the Panaghia Paramithias/Palace of the Wallachians

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Toklu Ibrahim Dede Mescidisi/Church of St Thecla

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The Ayazma of Blachernae/Panayia Blachernae Ayasmasi/Church of Meryem Ana at Blachernae

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St Stephen Bulgarian Orthodox Church

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The Metochion of Jerusalem

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The Metochion of Sinai

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The Church of St Nicholas

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