Santa Maria Draperis

One of the oldest Roman Catholic parishes of Istanbul, with roots going back to 1584, reached by a staircase descending from Istiklal Avenue to a sunken courtyard. The present Franciscan church dates from 1904 after fires destroyed earlier buildings, and its neo-Gothic facade with a statue of the Virgin is a familiar landmark to anyone strolling the avenue. Inside, the compact nave holds an icon of the Madonna said to have survived every fire since the parish's founding.