IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

This paper examines the Zoodochos Pege (Balıklı) Monastery, dating to the 6th century and rebuilt in 1833, and its cemetery in Silivrikapı as a living archive of Rum Orthodox communal memory. Approaching the site as an integrated whole, the study demonstrates how the relationship between the monastery, the ayazma (holy spring), and the burial grounds both documents and shapes the historical trajectory of the Rum community. A central focus of the analysis is the patriarchal tombs, whose spatial prominence reflects ecclesiastical authority, institutional continuity, and communal legitimacy. The placement of these graves within the monastic topography creates a hierarchy of sanctity that anchors collective memory and makes Rum presence visible in a city where minority visibility has been repeatedly challenged. In line with ICOMOS PRERICO, this highlights the need to protect and manage religious heritage in both tangible and intangible dimensions. Equally important are the Karamanli gravestones, inscribed in Turkish using Greek characters. These stones reflect a multilingual Orthodox identity often overlooked in heritage narratives. As markers of migration, language, and belonging, they extend the meaning of the cemetery beyond a strictly Constantinopolitan frame. By analysing epitaphs, spatial organisation, burial typologies, and ritual circulation between the cemetery and the ayazma, the paper argues that Balıklı constitutes a rare example of a minority heritage landscape that continues to function as an active site of communal memory in Istanbul. Rather than a static monument, the complex sustains ongoing processes of remembrance, authority, and identity negotiation. It challenges state-led heritage models and calls for frameworks that recognise the plural histories embedded in Istanbul’s sacred geographies. These religious assets also inform critical conservation approaches, helping sustain the city’s social fabric alongside its heritage values.