Stavrodromi is the area opposite old Istanbul. It starts from the end of Galata and reaches Sisli. It includes the districts stretching to the right and left of the Istiklal Avenue (Megali Odos tu Peran). Galata had been an inhabited district for many centuries, especially in the Byzantine era when it was assigned to Venetian and Genoese merchants.
Over time, the Orthodox Community was developed. This development in the area required orthodox churches to be built, for practising religious worship. In 1804, during the term of patriarch Callinicus V and under authorisation of Sultan Selim III, Architect Chatzis Comnenos built the church dedicated to the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (Isodia tis Theotokou). The foundation stone was set by a prince, Dimitrios Mourouzis.
A year later, the creation of this new parish, the Greek Orthodox Community of Stavrodromi, was ratified by patriarchal sigillium letter.
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