Aya Yorgi Church vs St. George’s Cathedral, Istanbul
Two churches in Istanbul. Aya Yorgi Church has no online ticket listed; St. George’s Cathedral, Istanbul has no online ticket listed. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
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;
The Cathedral of Saint George stands in the Fener district of Istanbul, on the Golden Horn, inside the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the spiritual centre of Orthodox Christianity, and entry is free. Visitors pass through a security check at the gate. Fener and neighbouring Balat are old neighbourhoods of colourful houses, steep streets and churches, synagogues and mosques, and walking tours of the two districts include the Patriarchate, the Bulgarian Iron Church of Saint Stephen, the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College and the Chora Church museum.
