‘I Shall Not Take Their Churches and Turn Them into Mosques’: The Legal Status of Catholic Churches in Ottoman Galata as Prescribed by the ‘Ahdnames

Dr. Radu DIPRATU, Institute for South-East European Studies

Shortly after conquering the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, Mehmed II issued a now-famous ‘ahdname or capitulation to the inhabitants of Galata, who voluntarily subdued to the sultan. This document represented a classic dhimma pact, whereby protection was guaranteed to a non-Muslim community in exchange for their recognition of the Muslim ruler, payment of a regular tribute and accepting certain social and religious restrictions. The prescriptions of the Galata ‘ahdname of 1453 also touched upon the faith of (Catholic) churches: Galatans would keep their churches and perform religious services in them, although they would refrain from ringing bells or semantrons, as well as building new ones; more importantly, the capitulation provided that churches may not be confiscated and turned into mosques. Although this last stipulation would be infringed even during Mehmed II’s reign, the ‘ahdname would continue to be invoked as a legal source in the centuries to come.

The Catholic churches of Galata became the topic of ‘ahdnames and other diplomatic initiatives again in the late seventeenth century, after being damaged by fire in 1660. The French capitulation of 1673 provided the legal framework for the ownership and renovation works of two churches. However, Venice already managed to secure such actions three years earlier for the largest Catholic church in Galata, St. Francis. While no Venetian ‘ahdname issued so far contained stipulations for church reparations, the sultanic authorization, based on the fetva of şeyhülislam Minkarizade Yahya Efendi, invoked Galata’s peaceful surrender back in 1453.

Turning to Ottoman-Turkish texts, my presentation will re-examine the role played by ‘ahdnames in establishing a legal framework for the possession and renovation of Catholic churches in Galata. Contrary to traditional historiography, I will argue that the Porte did not intend to give France nor any other foreign power a special status of protector of Catholicism through its ‘ahdnames. Comparisons with capitulatory provisions for churches in other regions of the empire will also be provided to better understand the functioning of these documents.