Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Italian Cattedrale di Santo Spirito, or Cattedrale dello Spirito Santo, Turkish Saint Esprit Kilisesi ) in the Cumhuriyet Caddesi 127 / B of the Elmadağ district in the district of Şişli, former Harbiye, between Taksim Square and Nisantasi is a the main Catholic churches in Istanbul. The church is the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul. It is the second largest Roman Catholic church in the city after the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua at the Istiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu.

The Holy Spirit Cathedral was built in 1846 under the direction of local architect Giuseppe Fossati and his colleague Julien Hillereau. It is a neo-baroque three-aisled basilica with marble columns and coffered ceilings modeled on Roman churches such as Santa Maria in Aracoeli or St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The cathedral was started by several popes during their stay visited Turkey, including Paul VI. , John Paul II and Benedict XVI .. Pius X gave her in 1909 to the rank of a minor basilica. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII. , Officiated here 1935-1944 as Vicar Apostolic.

A statue of Pope Benedict XV. stands in the courtyard of the church. Giuseppe Donizetti ( Donizetti Pasha ), a musician at the court of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, is buried in the crypt of the church.