The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History

Istanbul AttractionsThe Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History

The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery: A Quiet European Necropolis in the Heart of Istanbul

The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery is an unusual corner of Istanbul, where British diplomats, Prussian musicians, Swiss brewers, American missionaries, and German scholars rest side by side in the shade of cypresses and old plane trees. Its official Latin name is Evangelicorum Commune Coemeterium, “General Evangelical Cemetery.” It is located in the Feriçe neighborhood of the Şişli district, about three kilometers north of Taksim Square, and is an official member of the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe (ASCE). The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery has welcomed visitors since 1859 and serves as a unique open-air museum of funerary sculpture: it houses monuments dating from the 17th century to the present day, and a total of about five thousand people are buried there.

History and Origins of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery

The history of this place begins long before the first coffin was brought to Feriköy. Until the mid-19th century, all Europeans in Constantinople were buried in a vast necropolis beyond Pera, which was given the romantic name Grand Champs des Morts—“Great Fields of the Dead.” This “city of the dead” stretched northward from what is now Taksim Square and was so well-known in Europe that it inspired cemetery reformers from Paris to Vienna. The Frankish, or Western European, section had the most recognizable atmosphere: cypress trees, marble steles inscribed in Latin, and crosses of various denominations.

But Istanbul’s rapid growth worked against the old necropolis. From 1840 to 1910, the area between Taksim and Şişli transformed from open fields and gardens into dense residential development. The “Great Fields of the Dead” found themselves directly in the path of the expanding city. As early as 1842, the American missionary William Goodell bitterly described how he had to bury the body of his nine-year-old son, Constantine Washington, who had died of typhoid fever: “The grave was dug deep, and the coffin had barely dried out. Everything was quiet and peaceful… Farewell, beloved child!”

In 1857, by decree of Sultan Abdul-Mejid I, the Ottoman government granted land in Feriköy to the leading Protestant powers of the era: Great Britain, Prussia, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Hanseatic cities, and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. The first burial took place in November 1858, and the cemetery officially opened in early 1859. In July 1863, the remains of more than a dozen Americans, including little Constantine Goodell, were exhumed from the old Frankish section and transferred to Feriköy along with their headstones. The former “Great Fields of the Dead” were turned into a public park—in 1869, Taksim Garden opened here, on the site of which the square of the same name is located today.

Architecture and What to See

At first glance, the Feriçe Protestant Cemetery looks like a peaceful green square behind a high stone wall. But once you pass through the main gate, you find yourself in a space where every square meter tells a separate story. The grounds were laid out according to mid-19th-century Western European models: smooth gravel paths, neat sections, and low hedges of boxwood and laurel. Cypresses and plane trees cast dense shade even at midday in August, while blooming lilacs, wisteria, and roses soften the solemnity of the white marble.

Monument Row: a parade of funerary sculpture

The main attraction is the eastern wall, along which stretches the so-called Monument Row. Over time, the most striking tombstones from the old Frankish cemetery were moved here and arranged in a row, like exhibits in an open-air museum. Here you can see 17th-century Baroque cartouches, Classicist urns, Gothic pointed arches, Romantic-style angels, and modest 20th-century Modernist steles. For a Russian-speaking traveler, this is reminiscent of a walk through the Smolensk Lutheran or Volkov Cemeteries in St. Petersburg: the same silence, the same fine gravel underfoot, the same mix of European surnames, and the Eastern sky overhead.

Armenian Protestant Section

In the southwest corner is a separate section for Armenian Protestants. It is separated from the main section by a low wall—once this distinction was fundamental: Armenians were considered Ottoman subjects, and burying them alongside foreigners would have been a violation of imperial rules. Today, this distinction remains as part of historical memory. This same section also contains the tombstones of Greeks, Arabs, Assyrians, and Turkish Protestants themselves, including former Muslims who converted to Christianity. The epitaphs are carved in a dozen languages: Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Syriac, English, German, and Ottoman Turkish written in Arabic script.

Commonwealth War Memorial

In the central part, there is a single Commonwealth war grave: here lies a British intelligence officer who died in 1945, during the final months of World War II. A white standard slab with a cross and an inscription, typical of all Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, stands out against the backdrop of the diverse private monuments.

Monument styles—from Baroque to Modernism

The cemetery showcases virtually every trend in modern European memorial architecture. Neo-Gothic family chapels and mausoleums stand alongside austere crosses on low pedestals. There are life-size statues of angels, weeping muses, open marble books with epitaphs, and symbolic columns broken in the middle—a symbol of untimely death popular in the 19th century. The tombstones of the Levantine families—the Beaumonts, Fruchtermans, and Langs—whose role in the business and cultural life of 19th- and 20th-century Istanbul was immense, are particularly worth seeing. Many epitaphs are written in the form of short poems or biblical quotations; inscriptions in seven or eight languages can be found side by side on a single slab—English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Hungarian, Latin, and Greek.

Preservation Initiative and the Cemetery’s New Life

In 2018, local residents and descendants of those buried there founded the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative—a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the cemetery as a place of remembrance, a historical landscape, and an urban green space. In 2021, the boards of seven consulates general officially recognized the Initiative as their partner. Since then, guided tours have been held here, gravestones have been restored, and a newsletter featuring stories about individual graves has been published. For travelers, this means that the site isn’t just “open during the day” but is truly alive: you’ll find signs with QR codes, gardeners tending to the hedges, and on weekdays, you can even join a small group walk led by a volunteer historian.

Interesting facts and legends

  • Franz Karl Beaumonty (1857–1903) is buried here—a Swiss brewer who was at the forefront of the modern Turkish brewing industry. It is his surname that appears in the name of the Beaumonty neighborhood and the eponymous beer brand, familiar to many who have walked through Beyoğlu.
  • Among the graves is the tombstone of Paul Lange (1857–1919), a Prussian musician and the last court conductor of the Ottoman Empire. He led orchestras and choirs in Istanbul for nearly forty years and, according to the recollections of his contemporaries, even conducted during World War I, when both German and Turkish officers were seated in the hall.
  • Betty Karp (1895–1974)—an employee of the American Embassy and an intelligence officer—as well as British historian Norman Stone (1941–2019), known for his books on the history of World War I and Eastern Europe, who taught for many years at Istanbul’s Bilkent University.
  • Also buried here is Elias Riggs (1810–1901), an American missionary and linguist who worked on translating the Bible into Bulgarian and Armenian—his works are still used in worship services today.
  • One of the most touching stories is connected with the name of Constantine Washington Goodell: the boy was buried twice and moved once, and it is his reburial in 1863 that is considered the symbolic beginning of the cemetery’s new life—the relocation of old European memories to a new place.
  • Among those buried there is Ernest Mamburi (1878–1953), a Swiss Byzantinist and author of the classic guidebook “Constantinople: Guide Touristique,” as well as Hilary Sumner-Boyd and John Freely, co-authors of the famous “Strolling through Istanbul”—without exaggeration, the most cited city guide in English.

How to get there

The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery is located in the Şişli district, about 3 kilometers north of Taksim Square. The most convenient way to get there is by the M2 metro line (green line). Take the metro from Yenikapı or Taksim to the Osmanbey or Şişli-Mecidiyeköy station, exiting via the Feriköy neighborhood. From both stations, it’s a 10–15-minute walk to the cemetery gates through the streets of the residential neighborhood; you can use a navigation app with the coordinates 41.0539, 28.9839. The route from the metro passes by the Feriköy Bazaar and several late 19th-century Levantine apartment buildings—the journey itself becomes part of the experience.

From Istanbul Airport (IST), the most convenient way is to take the M11 metro to Kağıthane station, transfer to the M7, and continue to Mecidiyeköy—about an hour with luggage. From Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), it’s faster to take the Havabus to Taksim and from there, one or two stops on the M2 metro. If you’re taking a taxi, tell the driver “Feriköy Protestant Cemetery” or “Şişli Protestant Cemetery”—Turkish taxi drivers usually know both names. Nearby, across the street, is the Pangaltı Catholic Cemetery, which you can visit at the same time. In good weather, you can walk from Taksim in about 35–45 minutes: the route goes up Halaskargazi Street, passes by the Armenian Church of Surb Astvatsatsin, and descends to Feriköy—one of the most atmospheric walks through old Pera.

Tips for travelers

The best time to visit is spring (April–May), when the lilacs and wisteria are in bloom, and fall (September–October) with its soft golden light. In summer, Şişli is hot and crowded, but it’s always cooler under the cypress trees; in winter, the cemetery is open, though the paths can be slippery after rain. Allow 60–90 minutes for the walk, or up to two hours if you’re interested in epitaphs and monument styles.

Dress respectfully: long pants or a skirt, covered shoulders. This is not a religious requirement but a rule of decorum for an active cemetery. Photography is allowed and encouraged, but avoid taking pictures of families visiting graves, and do not climb onto the pedestals for a better angle—many 19th-century monuments are fragile. Hours of operation may vary; before your visit, check the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative website or call one of the consulates general on the board (Germany, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland)—the chairmanship rotates annually.

Combine your walk with a tour of nearby sites: the Pangalta Catholic Cemetery across the street, the Feriköy neighborhood with its antique shops and Sunday flea market, and Beyoğlu with its former brewery-loft and restaurants. You can walk down to Taksim in 40 minutes—the route takes you along Halaskargazi Street, one of the most atmospheric thoroughfares of old Pera. For Russian-speaking tourists tired of noisy bazaars and crowded mosques, the Feriçe Protestant Cemetery offers a rare opportunity to experience that “other” Turkey: cosmopolitan, Levantine, multilingual, where Europeans and Ottomans coexisted under the same sky for centuries, and where the memory of this coexistence can still be read on the old marble slabs.

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Frequently asked questions — The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History Answers to frequently asked questions about The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History. Information about the service's operation, capabilities, and use.
The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the Şişli district of Istanbul, founded in 1859. Its official Latin name is Evangelicorum Commune Coemeterium. About five thousand people are buried here: British diplomats, German musicians, Swiss entrepreneurs, American missionaries, and scholars. The cemetery is a member of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) and serves as an open-air museum of funerary sculpture featuring monuments from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Until the mid-19th century, Europeans were buried at the Grand Champs des Morts—“the Great Fields of the Dead”—north of Taksim Square. Istanbul’s rapid growth swallowed up this area: by 1869, Taksim Garden had been laid out in its place, later becoming the square of the same name. In 1857, Sultan Abdul-Mejid I granted land in Ferihye to Great Britain, Prussia, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and other Protestant powers. The first burial took place in November 1858; in 1863, remains were transferred here from the defunct Frankish cemetery.
Many notable figures are buried in the cemetery. Franz Karl Beaumont (1857–1903) was a Swiss brewer and the founder of the modern Turkish brewing industry; the Beaumont neighborhood and a brand of beer are named after him. Paul Lange (1857–1919) was a Prussian musician and the last court conductor of the Ottoman Empire. Elias Riggs (1810–1901) was an American missionary who translated the Bible into Bulgarian and Armenian. Ernest Mambury (1878–1953) — a Swiss Byzantinist and author of a classic guidebook to Constantinople. Norman Stone (1941–2019) — a British historian who taught at Bilkent University.
Monument Row is a row of tombstones along the eastern wall of the cemetery. Over the years, the most valuable monuments from the old Frankish necropolis have been moved here. In a single row, 17th-century Baroque cartouches stand alongside Classicist urns, Gothic pointed arches, Romantic angel figures, and 20th-century Modernist steles. With its diversity of styles, this place resembles an open-air museum of European memorial art.
Yes. In the southwest corner there is a separate Armenian Protestant section, divided by a low wall—historically, as Ottoman subjects, Armenians were not allowed to be buried alongside foreigners. Today, this division remains as a reminder of the past. The Armenian section also contains gravestones of Greeks, Arabs, Assyrians, and Turkish Protestants. The epitaphs here are engraved in Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Syriac, English, German, and Ottoman Turkish. In the central part, there is a single Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial site—a British intelligence officer who died in 1945.
The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative is a volunteer organization founded in 2018 by local residents and descendants of those buried there. Its goal is to preserve the cemetery as a place of remembrance, a historical landscape, and an urban green space. In 2021, the boards of seven consulates general officially recognized the Initiative as their partner. The organization conducts tours led by volunteer historians, restores gravestones, installs plaques with QR codes, and publishes a newsletter featuring stories about individual graves. Thanks to the Initiative, the cemetery is a vibrant place, not just “open to visitors.”
There is no strict religious dress code, but there are rules of decorum: long pants or a skirt and covered shoulders are recommended. Photography is permitted, but you may not photograph families visiting graves or climb onto the pedestals to get a better angle—many of the 19th-century monuments are fragile. The cemetery is still in use, so please behave quietly and respectfully.
Yes, the cemetery is open year-round. In winter, it’s less crowded and has a special atmosphere, but the paths can be slippery after rain—so be sure to wear comfortable shoes with non-slip soles. Winter hours may differ from summer hours, so before your visit, it’s best to check the current schedule on the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative website or contact one of the seven consulates general on the board.
Directly across the street is the Pangalta Catholic Cemetery—it’s easy to explore during a single walk. The Feriköy neighborhood is known for its antique shops and Sunday flea market. The Beyoğlu district attracts visitors with its former brewery, converted into a loft complex with restaurants. If you walk to Taksim along Halaskargazi Street, the route takes about 40 minutes and passes by the Armenian Church of Surb Astvatsatsin and late 19th-century Levantine apartment buildings.
The cemetery features epitaphs in ten or more languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian, Latin, Greek, Armenian, Arabic, Syriac, and Ottoman Turkish (written in Arabic script). It is not uncommon for several languages to appear on a single headstone. This reflects the multinational history of Levantine Istanbul. For visitors, this means that even without specialized knowledge, a stroll through the cemetery becomes a fascinating “reading” of the city’s history through names, dates, and quotations from various cultures.
Yes. The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative organizes guided walks led by volunteer historians—usually on weekdays. The schedule and participation requirements are subject to change, so it’s best to check the Initiative’s official website or contact the partner consulates for the most up-to-date information. There are also signs with QR codes throughout the grounds that allow you to read the stories of individual graves on your own—a convenient option for those who prefer to explore at their own pace.
User manual — The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in Istanbul: A Guide and Its History User Guide with a description of the main functions, features, and principles of use.
The best time to visit is April–May, when the lilacs and wisteria are in bloom, and September–October, when the light is soft and golden. It gets hot in the summer, but it’s always cooler under the cypress trees. Before your trip, check the current opening hours on the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative website or contact one of the partner consulates general (Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland), as the schedule is subject to change.
The easiest way is to take the M2 metro line (green line) to Osmanbey or Şişli-Mecidiyeköy station, then walk 10–15 minutes through the Feriköy residential neighborhood. Use the coordinates 41.0539, 28.9839 as a guide. If you’re taking a taxi, tell the driver “Feriköy Protestant Cemetery” or “Şişli Protestant Cemetery.” From IST Airport, take the M11 metro to Kağıthane, then transfer to the M7 to Mecidiyeköy—about an hour. From SAW, it’s more convenient to take the Havabus to Taksim and then ride the M2 for one or two stops. An alternative is the walking route from Taksim along Halaskargazi Street (35–45 minutes): it passes by the Armenian Church of Surb Astvatsatsin and old Levantine apartment buildings.
After entering through the main gate, walk toward the eastern wall, where you’ll find Monument Row—an avenue of tombstones relocated from the old Frankish cemetery. This is where the most striking monuments are concentrated: from 17th-century Baroque cartouches to 20th-century modernist steles. Then head to the southwest corner, where you’ll find the Armenian Protestant section with epitaphs in Armenian, Greek, Arabic, and Syriac. In the central part, take note of the standard white plaque from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Signs with QR codes are placed throughout the grounds, allowing visitors to read the stories behind specific graves. Take note of the graves of Franz Karl Beaumont—the brewer who gave his name to an entire neighborhood—Paul Lange—the last court bandmaster of the Ottoman Empire— Elias Riggs—a translator of the Bible into Armenian and Bulgarian—as well as the scholars Ernest Mamburi and Norman Stone. If you want to find specific graves, check their locations in advance via the Initiative website—volunteers are happy to help with navigation.
A leisurely stroll takes about 60–90 minutes. If you’re interested in studying the styles of the monuments and epitaphs in detail, plan on spending two hours. Dress respectfully: long pants or a skirt, and covered shoulders. Feel free to take photos, but please do not photograph families at gravesites or climb onto the pedestals—many 19th-century monuments are fragile. Keep your phone charged: you’ll need QR codes and the map app once you’re there.
As you leave the cemetery, stop by the Pangalta Catholic Cemetery—it’s located right across the street. Then take a stroll through the Feriçe neighborhood: on Sundays, there’s a flea market here, and the side streets are lined with antique shops. The Bomonti district, with its former brewery-loft and restaurants, offers a modern contrast. End your day with a walk down Halaskargazi Street to Taksim—one of the most atmospheric thoroughfares in old Pera.