Brand new by Istanbul timetables, this 19th century Bulgarian Orthodox Church (properly Sveti…read moreStefan Church) on the shore of the Golden Horn is beautiful and a good close to a walk around the city walls (it's in the Fener/Balat District). Donated by Prince Stefan Bogoridi in 1849. Three domes, cruciform shape, the ornamentation inside and out is Gothic-Neo-Baroque and Neo-Byzantine in style and breathtaking. It's also very near a tram stop.

Oh you know, just your average 19th-century Bulgarian Orthodox church, made entirely of cast iron…read more Because why not? Apparently stone was too mainstream. This beauty was flat-packed from Vienna (yes, like IKEA for churches) and assembled like a divine Lego set. It's the only cast-iron church in the world. I walked in expecting holy vibes and left wondering why my house isn't made of ornate Belgian ironwork. Absolutely amazed. 10/10 would get spiritually rusted again.

Walking downhill from Kazasker Ivaz Efendi Mosque, passed the Millennnuim Hotel, before you get to…read moreTopkapi University you'll find the Panagia Blachernae Holy Spring and Church, or the Vlaherna Meryem Ana Church. The Orthodox Christian church is built upon a sacred spring, it's one of the most tranquil and peaceful places in Istanbul. It used to protect the city with a relic, Mary's scarf. Believers thought the city would fall to invaders without the relic, and just 2 decades after the original church and the scarf were burned up in a fire the Ottomans conquered Constantinople. Panagia means Mother Mary, the All Holy. All the churches in Istanbul to Mary are panagia, this one is Panagia Blachernae. Inside the church building by the end of the courtyard is the holy spring. If you bring your own bottle you can take some of the water home to Greece with you. I'm a Buddhist from Milwaukee so I thought it might be blasphemous or at least disrespectful to fill up my walking water bottle here. Muslim women visit this church to ask for favors from the priest. It's a local Turkish belief that certain evil spells can only be undone by a faithful Orthodox priest. I wish I knew this before the first time I was denied tenure.

Several synagogues in Istanbul have been named Neve Shalom or "Oasis of Peace." As the Jewish…read morepopulation rapidly increased in the Galata and Beyoğlu districts in the 1930s, the smaller existing neighborhood synagogues could not meet the demand especially at religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As special venues had to be rented, the religious leaders planned the building of a new synagogue. The "new" Neve Shalom synagogue was designed by Elyo Ventura and Bernar Motola, two young Jewish graduates of Istanbul Technical University. One of the biggest challenges they faced was to plan a dome that could support the massive weight of a beautiful Star of David chandelier. They also had beautiful stained glass windows created. The synagogue open its doors in 1951. It is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Istanbul. Today, the synagogue is open to the public, but security is high due to several brutal attacks that claimed lives during Shabbat services. The first attack occurred during Shabbat services on September 6,1986. 22 Jewish citizens died as terrorists opened fire during the services. Bombings on November 15, 2003, again during Shabbat prayers, killed six people who were in the synagogues, five security guards, one police officer and eleven citizens who were on the street. The synagogue also has a chandelier that survived an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992. Bring your passport if you visit Neve Shalom Synagogue or the Jewish Museum of Turkey.