Istanbul Istanbul Istanbul (, or or ; ), historically known as Byzantium and before 1924 as Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural, and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosporus strait (which separates Europe and Asia) between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. The city is the administrative center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (coterminous with Istanbul Province), both hosting a population of around 15
St. Mary of Sakızağaç Cathedral, Istanbul St. Mary of Sakızağaç Cathedral, Istanbul The St. Mary of Sakızağaç Cathedral ( ) also called Surp Asdvadzadzin, or the Armenian catholic Cathedral of Istanbul Is the name given to a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church that follows the Armenian rite in full communion with the Pope in Rome, which is located in the city of Istanbul, the largest in the Eurasian country of Turkey. Not to be confused With the other two Catholic cathedrals in that same locality, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit ("Saint Esprit Kilisesi"), which follows the Latin Rite and the cathedral of a