The 174-year-old Virgin Mary Church has opened

The Church of the Virgin Mary, one of the oldest structures in Nevşehir, has opened to Cappadocia tourism.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpasl, Nevşehir Governor İnci Sezer Becel, Nevşehir Mayor Dr. Mehmet Savran, Provincial Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Murat Bahattin Yakin, Cappadocia Area Manager Birol Inceciköz, NGO representatives, members of the protocol and citizens attended the opening ceremony of the Virgin Mary Church.

The historical Virgin Mary Church, which was built in the Kayaşehir and Kale regions in 1849, was used as a church by the Greek minority living in the region until the population exchange period in 1924, and was used as Nevşehir Prison between 1950-1983, has opened to tourism.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Virgin Mary Church, Nevşehir Mayor Mehmet Savran said, “The Virgin Mary church, which is a symbol of Nevşehir and its recent history dating back to the Ottoman Empire, was opened for worship during the Ottoman period and was used as a prison from 1950 to 1983. For this reason, it was a structure that had been severely damaged. It was brought to our city after a very meticulous restoration process. Together with the Virgin Mary church, Kaya Şehir, Kaya Church, Greek bath and Çanlı church, we will continue to work towards making this region a unique tourism route.”

"It's a very important cultural asset of ours"

Nadir Alpaslan, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, said, "It is one of the masterpieces of the last Ottoman period. It is a very important cultural asset of ours. Unfortunately, after 1950, there were serious problems and destructions as a result of misuse. We have come to the end of the works that we started in 2020 in order to eliminate all these, to revive our cultural existence in accordance with the original, and to serve our Cappadocia, our country and our people as a cultural asset again. Today, those contrary practices have been completed with a beautiful restoration work by removing the damage done to the building, to the historical property and to the cultural property. We hope to open it today.”

"Turkey is undoubtedly the center of different religions, beliefs and places of worship"

Governor İnci Sezer Becel said, “Turkey, which has hosted many civilizations for centuries, is undoubtedly the center of different religions, beliefs and places of worship. Nevşehir, on the other hand, has been one of the regions where people of different faiths lived side by side for years, in addition to its extraordinary nature. Therefore, our city has always managed to attract attention as one of the most distinguished cities of our country in terms of faith tourism. We have always had a rich tourism area, especially for the historical structures left by many nations living under the administration of the Ottoman Empire that survived to the present day. Various studies have always been supported to protect this richness and increase tourism diversity. As it is understood from the inscription of the Virgin Mary Church, located just at the foothill of Nevşehir Castle, its foundation was built during the reign of the High Priest Paisios and opened on October 16, 1849 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. As of the date in its inscription, it was built during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Abdülmecid. The Virgin Mary Church was used as a state prison for a long time in the Republican Period after the population exchange in 1924. A second floor was built for the use of the building as a prison without any changes to the main plan, but it was abandoned later."

"It is obvious that if we do not adequately protect our structures such as the Church of the Virgin Mary, which are among the other cultural heritage works of our country, they will be destroyed by nature and human beings in a short time. For this reason, the restoration and conservation works of the Virgin Mary Church were started and completed in a short time. Now, the most valid method of protection is to give an appropriate function to this structure. Turkey is a destination that has increased its importance in the world faith tourism in recent years. It is obvious that religious buildings such as the Damat İbrahim Pasha Complex and the Virgin Mary Church in the city center will attract the attention of local and foreign tourists and serve faith tourism, as well as the Hacı Bektaşi Veli Lodge, the representative of Anatolian wisdom. Therefore, we think that it would be extremely useful to consider visiting holy places such as the Church of the Virgin Mary by tourists from other religions as "Faith Tourism" within the tourism phenomenon. Thus, our city has a very special position with its values."

After the speeches, the church has opened.