Saint Polycarp Church was built in 1625 with the permission of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I and at the request of the French King Louis XIII.[1][2] The church building was damaged in the 1688 Smyrna earthquake and the fire that broke out in the following months.[2] It was repaired between 1690–1691.[2] The monastery of the church was damaged in the fire in 1763.[2] The church was restored in 1775 with the contribution of the French King Louis XVI and became a three-nave basilica.[1][3] In 1820, a marble commemorative plaque was hung in the church in honor of Louis XIII.[2] The church, in which chapels were added during the restoration carried out between 1892–1989, was decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Polycarp, made by French architect Raymond Charles Péré.[1] It was destroyed by the great fire of Smyrna and was rebuilt in 1929.[2]
Architecture
Built using stone and brick, the church is now a rectangular basilica with three naves.[1][3] It is located in the east–west direction.[1][3] There is an octagonal bell tower in the southwest of the church.[1][3]
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