Saint Anthony Church Case Study

Saint Anthony of Padua Church & Santa Maria Church INTRODUCTION

Istanbul is a collection of many historical buildings, Istiklal Avenue includes some basic examples of those buildings such as religious ones. When you are walking down this street, you can find Saint Anthony Church on your left, than Santa Maria Church on left again. These two churches are too close too each other as location, but you can see their differences even when you just look from outside. Saint Anthony Church belongs to theVenetian Neo-Gothic style and located on the street level, Santa Maria Church belongs to the Neo-Classic style but placed lower than the street level. A Gothic revivalist idiom is adopted for a national and religious landmark — the most popular, visible

The ceiling of this church is full of motifs. There are leaded windows and little oculus besides the proportional windows. It is lightened with a big chandelier and small bulbs. Its ceiling of side naves are also cross ribbed vaults but those cross vaults are longer than Saint Anthony Church’s vaults; and these look more cylindrical. The plans of both churches are almost same. And their column capitals are almost same too; but Santa Maria’s columns are rectangular. (fig.4)

Saint Anthony Church and Santa Maria Church differs with their styles, columns, proportions, grandioseness — with materials. Because Santa Maria doesn't try to be impressive like Saint Antoine— , window shapes, lightnings, structures. The difference between the buildings are not only due to the stylistic difference of their facades; another difference is their relationship with the street. When we look from street side to the churches; Saint Anthony has a courtyard and it is on the same level with street, Santa Maria has stairs instead of a courtyard and it is on lower level than the street. And the reason of this level difference is the slope of its site. There is one more difference besides those architectural features: humanity. It may be because of their level; generally Saint Anthony Church is very crowded but Santa Maria Church is totally empty. The level difference situation changes whole the idea of architecture.

On the street, the houses are mostly made by wood. The street surrounded by late Ottoman era buildings that were designed with the Neo-Classical, Neo-Gothic, Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts, Art Nouveau and First Turkish National Architecture styles. These styles can be seen with consulates of several nations including the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Greece, and Russia. Even those existent building, besides their religiosity; the churches’ architecture arise.

Pera Palace Hotel is in Pera and it has neo-classical, art nouveau and oriental styles but its facade follows a neo-classical approach. It is the nearest neo-classic building to Santa Maria Church. They both have an unsophisticated exterior facade with their materials and window sizes. Pera Palace’s window shapes don’t belong to neo-classical style but its simplicity belongs. (fig.