St. Polycarp Church was built in 1625 with the permission of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I and the the request of Louis XIII. It was damaged in the 1688 Izmir earthquake and subsequent fire. It underwent repairs in 1690-1691.
The monastery of the church, which was destroyed by fire in 1763. The church was restored with the contribution of King Louis XVI of France in 1775. After restoration a monastery and cemetery were added and it was turned into a three-naved basilica. A marble plaque was hung in the church in honour of Louis XIII in 1820.
The church, to which chapels were added during the restoration carried out between 1892 and 1989, was decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Polycarp, made by the French architect Raymond Charles Péré. It was about to collapse as a result of the 1922 Izmir Fire and was rebuilt in 1929. The Aegean Sea earthquake in October 2020 caused damage to the church.
The church, which successfully survived after all these disasters, is being restored again these days. Local and foreign tourists, who know and follow the results of the outstanding restoration works seen in our country in recent years, are eagerly waiting for the results. Muhsin Ş.
