A very easy and magical escape from the overwhelming crowds of Galata square is on a side street, through a large steel door and into a small churchyard. Paolo Girardelli, professor of art history at Boğaziçi University has prepared a small exhibition in one of his special corners of the city. From the noise to the silence, a typical everyday Istanbul experience.
Girardelli: This small exhibition is meant to raise awareness to the Dominican complex of St. Peter and Paul as a valuable piece of multicultural heritage, connected to the long history of Galata and Constantinople / Istanbul. The two rooms for which it was conceived are older than the
present church, designed by Gaspare Fossati and inaugurated on February 19, 1843. They belong to the reconstruction of the Dominican complex that occurred after the devastating fire of Galata in 1731. Together, they connect Fossati’s church to the public street.
The first room is devoted to the history of the church and convent. The
right side focuses on Fossati’s design, but also offers glimpses of the
building complex in several periods. The left side is devoted to the
urban and social context, to the people for whom the church was built
and rebuilt over the centuries... a long and dramatic story, evoked by
original objects, images, archival documents and texts.
After exploring these layers of history and memory, the visitor is
invited to the second room where there is a stunning panorama of Istanbul around 1850. The large panel is made from four lithographs, included by Gaspare Fossati in the volume on his restoration of Hagia Sophia, published in 1852. The architect of the church brings us on top of one minaret of Hagia Sophia where time goes back 170 years, and we admire Istanbul from this height through Fossati’s eyes.
Albeit limited to a small section of the complex, the exhibition
uncovers broad connections and layers of history, inviting the visitor
to understand this space and its surroundings as a potential “open-air
museum”. In this sense, we hope that it will
also raise awareness for the urgent need of protecting, restoring,
valorizing and revitalizing this unique center of cultural and religious
dialogue.
Gaspere Fossati was invited to Constantinople in 1836 to become the Imperial architect. ...
In Cornucopia issue 46 Girardelli writes about D'Aronco and other Italian architects during the Ottoman period.
Visiting hours are 2:30 to 5:30 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, until September 2022. Galata Kulesi Sokak No. 44, Kuledibi, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
http://senpiyer.org/the-fossati-brothers/