Saint Polycarp Church
Saint Polycarp Church is one of the oldest buildings of İzmir in the intersection area of Gazi Osman Paşa Boulevard, Necatibey Boulevard and Kazım Dirik Street. The church was dedicated to Bishop of İzmir, St. Polycarp who left between 69 and 155, was one of the first students of St. John and canonized afterwards. Although Roman governors pressurized Polycarp very much in order to dissuade him from his belief, he persisted, so he was murdered by being burnt in Rome Stadium on the foothill of Kadifekale on February 23, 155. Present church named after him was constructed in 1625 through the permission of Sultan Süleyman. It was repaired after the big fire in 1880.
Being renovated again in 1775 through the permission of Ottoman bodies and with support of Louis 16, the church took the form of a three-naved basilica.
The building was decorated during the restoration between 1892 and 1898 by being extended with chapels. At the end of the last century, young French artist, painter and architecture Raymond C. Pere who lived in İzmir reflected the life story of St. Polycarp on the frescos he made inside the church.
With its repaired form, the church is a three-naved rectangular basilica with bema-sectioned dome in the direction of east-west now. There is a bell tower rising from the south of the western front.