According to musical lore, metal and churches get along like a house on fire. Or a church on fire if you're a black metal musician from Scandinavia. Devilish antics of disturbed youth aside, the coupling of these two uncouth elements resulted in nuptial bliss in 1898. Metal and church found each other along the Golden Horn outlet of the Bosporus in the Bulgarian Orthodox neighborhood of Balat on the European side of bustling metropolis Istanbul. How did these they meet, these two in 17-20 million? Well, the Bulgarian Orthodox, distinct from their Greek religious bretheren, wanted a church of their own. They hired Armenian Ottoman architect Hovsep Aznavur to lay out the plans and commenced fabrication for the sheets of cast iron in Vienna. From there, the metal floated down the Danube, across the Black Sea and into port Istanbul; where it was readymade for assemblage, the mail order craftsman home of Neo-Byzantine Orthodox churches, if you will. Hastily but sturdily constructed after just a year and a half, the cast iron church was relatively cost effective, save for its ₺15 million vow renewal in 2011.
The matte look of the exterior gives the temple of worship the peculiar look of a giant, heavily frosted cake. I showed an architect friend the church, told him the whole story, but he refused to believe that the whole thing was made of the same material that your houseguests ruin when its their turn to cook. Though he didn't demand proof, he couldn't shake the notion that this was some confectioner's saccharine trick.
He's not to blame, though. Look at this thing. Well worth a visit.
Previously: Heavy metal guitar accompanies Arizona preacher speaking in tongues at a church service
