İZMİR PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF CULTURE AND TOURISM

Saint John the Baptist Church

It is the Protestant Church located at 81 Street No.23 in Buca district. The Church Building was opened in 1834 as the Protestant Anglican Church. The church building was built as a small village church in the form of a chapel. In 1865, the church building was renovated with the decree of Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz Khan.

This small-scale structure has a characteristic construction. There is a chorus and church niche at one end of the crucifix-shaped plan, entrance and cloakroom at the opposite end, organ place and priest's room are at the other ends, there is also a central heating system under this room and the inner dome of the central hall has a wooden construction with an interesting geometry. Stained glass windows with neo-gothic style were transferred to the Protestant St John Evangelist chapel in Alsancak in 1961.

In 1961, it met the need of worship of the Turkish Protestant community. After this date, the church transferred the rights to use to the municipality. Buca Municipality used the church building as a culture center until 2001.

The Turkish Protestant community returned the church to its original function in 2001 in a protocol signed with the Municipality of Buca with the permission of the official authorities to use the church for worship needs.