Patriarchal Church of St. George

The Patriarchal Church of St. George in Fener is the principal church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and one of the most important living centres of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Ecumenical Patriarchate records that this is the fifth church in Constantinople to have housed the Patriarchate since the fifteenth century.

A former convent church at the site was adapted for patriarchal use around 1600, refurbished in 1614, rebuilt after an early eighteenth-century fire and repaired again in 1836, with later restoration under Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Architecturally it retains the form of a three-aisled basilica rather than the monumental scale many visitors associate with Byzantine imperial churches.

Its spiritual importance is enhanced by icons and relics preserved within the church, including relics venerated as those of major Orthodox saints. The Patriarchate carefully distinguishes some objects by tradition; Templestan likewise does not treat devotional attributions or miraculous reputations as independently proven facts.

The church is an active liturgical centre where patriarchal services and major feast observances take place. Visitors should expect worship to take priority and should treat relics, icons and sanctuary areas according to Orthodox practice and the directions of the church.