In Turkey, the historic Orthodox Church of St. Eustathius is being converted into a municipal museum

Turkish authorities are continuing the process of repurposing historic Christian heritage sites: the Orthodox Church of St. Eustathius, located in the town of İncesu (Cappadocia region), has been converted into a museum. According to the Orthodoxia News Agency ( ), the building, which is of significant cultural and architectural importance, will now function as a municipal museum center.

The church, built in 1836 by the local Greek community (the Karamanis), remained an active place of worship until 1923, when a forced population exchange took place between Greece and Turkey. After the Greek residents left, the building was used for various non-religious purposes at different times: it housed a military warehouse, an archive, a theater hall, and a vocational school.

Restoration work, which began in 2021, was completed by 2025. According to the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, the interior refurbishment of the space is more than 80% complete. Plans are in place to open the renovated building to the public soon, with the aim of incorporating it into Cappadocia’s tourist itineraries. The museum’s exhibition will feature materials on the region’s history, local archaeology, gastronomy, and traditional winemaking, as well as artifacts from the nearby archaeological site of Orenşehir.

As a reminder, Turkey recently held commemorative events marking the 573rd anniversary of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The highlight of the commemorative events was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s participation in a prayer service at the Hagia Sophia, underscoring the historical and religious significance of the event for the modern Republic of Turkey.