Over the past few decades, the Christian minority in Turkey had been allowed to renovate their churches, but no new building had been approved by the state. The new church will have space for around 700 people. In addition to the actual church, there are two upper floors with meeting rooms that can be used after masses, baptisms or weddings, as well as an underground car park with parking spaces. The first new building for a Christian church since the founding of the republic in 1923 is about to open there. The Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephrem in Istanbul's Bakirkoy district is scheduled to be completed within the next two months. https://freewestmedia.com/2023/01/14/on-erdogans-initiative-first-new-church-built-in-turkey-since-1923/