St Anthony of Padua Catholic Cathedral

St. Anthony of Padua Cathedral, also known in Italian as Sant'Antonio di Padova Cathedral, St. Antoine, or Sent Antuan in Turkey, dates to 1912. This red-brick Venetian neo-gothic building is situated on Istanbul’s busiest pedestrian street, Istiklal Street. It is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in Istanbul and one of the most important in the city.

The first Franciscan church in Istanbul was built in the 1306 in nearby Galata, though centuries later this was converted into a mosque. A new church dedicated to Saint Anthony was erected in 1724 but was demolished in 1904 to make way for the city’s tram line. After years of interruptions and financial problems, the St. Anthony’s Cathedral of today was completed in 1911 and opened for worship in 1912.

The Cathedral was designed by Istanbul-born Italian architect Giulio Mongeri, who was also responsible for the design of other important buildings in Turkey such as Macka Palas and the Karakoy Palas bank building. St. Anthony’s has been made famous for the fact that Pope John XXIII preached here for 10 years before he was elected as pope.

St Anthony of Padua Cathedral’s size and location means that it has a large community following.

Practical Information:

Weekend Masses:

Saturday: 7pm (6pm November - March)

Sunday: 10am (English); 11am (Polish); 11.30am (Italian); 7pm (6pm November - March) (Turkish).

Weekday Masses:

Monday - Friday: 8am (English); 7pm (Turkish)

Entrance: free.

Check http://sentantuan.com/ for up-to-date Mass schedules.