Aya Yorgi Church

Aya Yorgi Church tickets: which one to buy

The Monastery of Saint George, Aya Yorgi, stands on Yücetepe, the highest hill of Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, off the Asian shore of Istanbul, Turkey, and entry is free, with donations welcome. It is a Greek Orthodox monastery under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and it is visited not only by Christians but also by many Turkish Muslims and people of other faiths, who come to make wishes. Ferries run to Büyükada from Kabataş, Eminönü and Bostancı, taking about an hour to an hour and a half, and there are no private cars on the island;

visitors walk, cycle or use electric vehicles to reach the foot of the hill. From there, a steep cobbled path climbs to the monastery in about thirty minutes, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water. Visitors often combine the monastery with a walk or bicycle ride around the island, the wooden Ottoman-era mansions, the Museum of the Princes' Islands and the beaches. A restaurant beside the monastery, at the top of the hill, has terraces with wide views over the sea and the other islands, and it is a popular place for lunch after the climb.

Visiting Aya Yorgi Church: what to see

A monastery dedicated to Saint George has stood on the hill since the Byzantine period, and tradition connects its origins with the tenth century or earlier, although the present buildings are much later, largely from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is often called Saint George Koudounas, the Saint George of the bells, after a legend of a shepherd who heard bells ringing underground and found an icon of the saint buried in the earth. The monastery includes a small church, built into the hillside, with an iconostasis, icons of Saint George and an underground chapel with a holy spring, and several chapels and monastic buildings on different levels of the hill.

In the past, the monastery was known as a place where people with mental illness were brought in the hope of healing, and iron rings in the floor of one chapel recall this history. On the path up the hill, visitors tie pieces of thread, ribbons and cloth to the trees and bushes, and some unwind a thread as they climb, as they make their wishes. Small pebbles and coins are also left as offerings. Near the top, the view opens over the Sea of Marmara, the Asian shore and the other Princes' Islands, and on clear days the skyline of Istanbul appears in the distance.

Aya Yorgi Church opening hours and the best time to go

The monastery is open daily from morning to early evening. The feast of Saint George on 23 April is the most important day, when tens of thousands of people of different faiths climb the hill to make wishes, and ferries and paths are extremely crowded; a smaller pilgrimage takes place in September. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons for the climb, and summer is hot and busy on the islands, especially at weekends. Weekday mornings are quietest. Allow about two hours for the climb, the monastery and a meal at the top.