Age
0+
Group size
1-5
Transport
On foot
Language
English
Duration
5 hours
About this experience
Like the Princes' Islands, San Stefano is a resort, atmospheric, very European district of Istanbul. But the road to it is not a two-hour journey by sea, but only 20 minutes by metro from the city center. I will tell you how this place is connected to the history of Russia, the birth of Turkish aviation, and cinema. And I will also reveal similarities with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
What to expect
- You will see and visit 4 Christian churches: Greek and Armenian St. Stephen's, the Latin church of St. Stephen, and the new church of St. Ephrem of the Syrian Orthodox Church.
- You will walk along the turquoise Sea of Marmara. In warm weather, you can swim and sunbathe here.
- You will immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of a resort town, where beautiful wooden houses from the early 20th century in the Art Nouveau style coexist with apartments and villas surrounded by greenery.
- You will explore authentic fish restaurants and cozy cafes.
What you will learn
- Why this place was named after the first Christian martyr Stephen
- How Emperor Theodosius II's sister Pulcheria fought for power with his wife Eudocia and how the next emperor, a former soldier, ascended the throne
- What led to the schism in the churches into the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian ones and how it is all connected with the same Pulcheria
- Why in the summer of 1203 the Crusaders landed on the shore of San Stefano and how it ended in the light of world history
- Why the Russian and Ottoman empires signed a peace treaty in San Stefano in 1878
- Why General Skobelev dressed in civilian clothes and secretly traveled from San Stefano to Constantinople
- Where the memorial temple of Russian warriors was located in San Stefano and why it was blown up in November 1914
Organizational Details
To travel by metro, you will need Istanbul's transport card Istanbul kartı.
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