As mentioned in the Introduction post that laid out the framework used in the creation of these profiles, one of the greatest challenges for this project was delineating where one neighborhood ended and where another began. Due to the overlaps between the administrative boundaries of church parishes, the porous borders of neighbors, and modern districting in some cases, such as this one, it has been decided to combine two parishes into one profile. The relatively small parishes of Salmatobruk and Sarmaşık sit within the boundaries of larger neighborhoods, sitting at the meeting points of Edirnekapı, Ayvansaray, and Balat.
Salmatobruk (Σαλματοβρούκι)
Salmatobruk (Salmatovrouki, Σαλματοβρούκι) is a street that separates the Edirnekapı and Ayvansaray neighborhoods in the historic peninsula of Istanbul, although residents often refer to it as its own district. While modern municipal borders do not recognize Salmatobruk as a neighborhood, historic accounts prove otherwise. In the nineteenth century, Salmatobruk was a neighborhood with its own Greek Orthodox church and parish. Nineteenth-century Greek scholar Skarlatos Byzantios wrote that Salmatobruk was the neighborhood that came immediately after Tekfursaray and coincided with the Byzantine Praitōrion. Byzantios also quoted Kodinos and Glykas, mentioning that Praitōrion was used as a jail by the Byzantines under Emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306 - 227).
In the nineteenth century, during Ottoman rule, the neighborhood of Salmatobruk was home to a significant Greek Orthodox population. This community gathered around the parish church named Virgin Mary of the Heavens, also known as "Panayia Uranon" (Παναγία Ουρανών). According to Byzantinist Raymond Janin, this church was built on a lot that previously housed a Byzantine church. The church must have been built before the late-sixteenth century, as it was listed on the Tryphon List from 1583. A statement written in 1730 to Mehmet Raşit, the Kadı (an islamic judge) of Istanbul, mentions the reconstruction of the church due to fire damage.
Today, the first inscription in the church states that it was also rebuilt in 1834, during the tenure of Patriarch Konstantios I, while the second inscription mentions another restoration in 1991, during the tenure of the current Patriarch Bartholomew I. Zafer Karaca notes that the Hagiasma of Hagios Ioannis Prodromos (Αγιάζμα Αγίου Ιωάννου Αποκεφαλιστού, Aya İoannis Prodromosis Ayazması) inside the main church building and that a bell tower was added to the church complex, though the date is unknown. Panayia Uranon is still active and open to worship, though it does not have a parish.
Sarmaşık (Sarmasiki, Σαρμασίκι) :
On the uppermost edge of the fifth hill of Istanbul, along the Golden Horn, lies Sarmaşık. Due to modern redistribution of municipal boundaries it now sits within the modern day boundaries of the neighborhoods of Ayvansaray and Balat. During the Byzantine period this area was called Ta Armatiou, named for Magistros Armatios who lived during the reign of Emperor Zeno in the late-fifth century. When the Constantinian walls were extended into the Theodosian walls, part of the new construction now passed through Ta Armatiou. Later on in Byzantine history a hospice for the elderly in the quarter of Armatios was built along with a bathhouse and cistern known as Kryousa. This hospice was later converted into a monastery in 1447 by the abbot Dositheos. The neighborhood was said to be known for its pleasant weather and calm environment in the Ottoman period.
Sarmaşık is made up of a single parish community rooted in the Agios Dimitrios Church (Άγιος Δημήτριος). The church itself is located within a courtyard surrounded by tall walls. This basic structure remains in the modern building which is still in operation for one Sunday a month as well as on festival days. On the other Sundays, the vicar works in the churches in the nearby neighborhood of Edirnekapı. The church was built as a tribute to Nikolas Kanabos in April of 1204 but has a long history of damage and renovations. It was rebuilt in the fourteenth century by Georgios Pepagomenos though was destroyed in a city wide fire in 1640 and again in 1729. A report by Mehmet Raşit, an Istanbul kadı , records the renovation in 1730.
The church's final restoration comes in the nineteenth century enshrined by a plaque within the church which announces its reopening for service in April of 1834. It is still used for feast day services led by the current Patriarch, Bartholomew I. The church also houses an hagiasma which is a holy spring.
Other landmarks in the area include a historic fountain referred to as Acı Çeşme or “bitter fountain” on the way to the next gate in the landwalls. In the vicinity of the church also sits a Havmuren with an inscription reading “On Monday 25th, 1455, the expeditionary bridge was built in this vicinity by Mehmed the Conqueror”.
References
“St Demetrios in Sarmaşık.” n.d. The Panorama Cultural Society.
Byzantios, Skarlatos. Constantinople: A Topographical, Archaeological & Historical
Description Vol. 1. Translated by Haris Rigas. Istanbul: İstos Yayın, 2019.
Karaca, Zafer. İstanbul’da Tanzimat Öncesi Rum Ortodoks Kiliseleri. Istanbul: Yapı Kredi
Yayınları, 2008.
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