This is a section of the 1.4 km long Istiklal Avenue (turkish: Istiklal Caddesi) meaning Independence Avenue, also known by its former name Grande Rue de Péra. Until the 1920s it was the cosmopolitan artery of Péra, where lots of greek, italian, french and other foreigners, and especially merchants, lived for centuries. Péra (also called Galata) itself developed as a city next to Constantinople across the Golden Horn under Genoese (and partly Venetian) control from the 13th century. Most of the late Ottoman Style buildings in the street date to the 19th and early 20th century. The street experienced a long decline in the 20th century especially following anti-greek movements between the 50s and 70s. However since the 1990s the street regains its popularity, the old trams run through it again and buildings get restored, as can also be seen in this streetscape panorama.
The most prominent building here, in the centre, belongs to the Saint Anthony of Padua Church (also St. Antoine Katolik Kilisesi), the largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul. However you can only see a part of the portal through the gateway between the Saint Antoine Apartmanlari buildings, belonging to the complex. The church itself is found inside the courtyard (see detail images on the right). This complex was built 1906-12 in Venetian Neo-Gothic Style, designed by the Istanbulite Levantine architect Giulio Mongeri, who also designed several other important buildings in Istanbul.
This cityscape panorama of the turkish metropolis Istanbul was presented in week 13 of our 101 weeks 101 cities of europe project.
