St. Paul (Adana)

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Saint Paul Church

The Sankt-Paulus-Kirche ( Turkish Aziz Pavlus Kilisesi ) is an early Armenian , today Roman Catholic church on Cemal-Gürsel-Strasse on "Platz des 5. Januar" (5 Ocak Meydanı) , built from 1870 and completed from 1880 to 1890 the southern Turkish port city of Adana . The church, located in the historic Mahalle Tepebağ in the Seyhan district , is currently closed due to disputes with the city administration. The priest (başrahip) of the church is Francis Dondu.

The 2.50 meter high bronze statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the roof above the front entrance is reminiscent of a toddler, so the St. Paulus Church is popularly known as Bebekli Kilise (“Church with Baby”). Since the Catholic Church does not receive any financial support from the state, the parish had to convert its garden into a parking lot in order to receive income.

Until the Armenian genocide in 1915, the church was used by the Armenian community. Due to the lack of facilities, the church is also used by other Christians such as the town's evangelical community.

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Coordinates: 36 ° 59 ′ 15 ″  N , 35 ° 19 ′ 33 ″  E