Sisli cemetery

The only cemetery

of Turkey in

ASCE

ASCE: Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe

Documentary

Watch a great documentary on the history of the Greek-Rums of Istanbul and the Cemetery of Sisli.

A real museum of architecture and sculpture, featuring both Western and Ancient Greek-style works. The Cemetery moved from Taksim around 1865 in an area of 38,600 square meters The eclectic style of the Şişli cemetery church, a cruciform, domed building is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and was erected with donations from the brothers Demetrius, John and Paul Stephanovich-Schilizzi, to the memory of their parents Zannis and Eleni.

One of the greatest cemeteries in Europe with international acclaim

It contains in one place funereal monuments of well-known, leading lights, noblemen and scholars from the Greek Orthodox community. Monuments of real art such as the bankers of the Zarifi family, the Negreponti family, the Iliasqo family, the Zafyropoulos family and many others. Monuments to famous doctors such as Alexander Schina, Dimitrios Zambakos Pasha, Pavlos Fenerlis Pasha.

A world cultural monument

The intricate funereal monuments were made by renowned artists such as the Frenchman Antonin Mercie, whose works can be found in the Louvre, as well as works by Georgios Bonanos, Michael Tombros, Luigi Giona and many craftsmen from Tinos, such as Lazarus Sochos, the sculptor who carved the statute of Kolokotronis which stands outside the Old Parliament in Athens; and the Lyritis Brothers who made numerous statutes in Turkey such as the statue of Ataturk in Tekirdağ, as well as the architects P. Fotiadis and Panagiotidis, to name but a few.

The Transfiguration of Christ

The eclectic style of the Şişli cemetery church, a cruciform, domed building, was erected with the permission of the Patriarchate and an imperial firman from Sultan Abdul Hamit II. The church is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and was erected with donations from the brothers Demetrius, John and Paul Stephanovich-Schilizzi, to the memory of their parents Zannis and Eleni.

The Church of the Transfiguration at Şişli was opened on 21 May 1889 by Sophronius, Metropolitan of Nicaea (modern-day Iznik). Alexandre Vallaury, French-born, Istanbul-based acclaimed architect was commissioned to build the church. Vallaury’s works, such as the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, the Pera Palace Hotel, the Ottoman Bank at Karaköy, the orphanage on Büyükada island, Marmara University at Haydarpaşa, the Academy of Fine Arts and various other pavilions and luxury homes along the Bosphorus, known as ‘Yali’, still adorn the city even today.

The exterior mosaics

The mosaics adorning the exterior of the church were assigned to the well-known French painter, conservator and mosaic’s expert Pretextat Lecomte. Pretextat used mosaics to create a unique work, employing techniques used by the Byzantines in the 11th century. The large icon above the main entrance to the church depicts God with the Greek letters “O Ω Ν”.

The outer walls are adorned by 8 saints, whose names are commonly found in the Schilizzi family: Paul, Peter, Helen, Demetrius, John, George, Stephen and Constantine. The iconostasis (or altar panel) is the work of painter and hagiographer, George Grammandanis from Falatado on the island of Tinos, who was also art teacher at the Zappeion School. His works can be found in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in the Church of St. George in Kuzguncuk, in the Church of St. John Chrysostom in Kalamış, and in Phanar Greek Orthodox College.