Aya Yorgi (St.George) Church, constructed in the name of Saint George, is located on one of highest points of Buyukada Island (of Istanbul). It has particularity in being the recognised church in Turkey of primacy which is accepted as most influential authority of Orthodox Church.

The church referred as Aya Yorgos by Greeks, has been well known as Aya Yorgi in the course of the time. The most noteworthy motif of the church is the icon of Saint George killing the sea monster with his spear. In various occult resources, the icon is mentioned to have many spiritual meanings. There is a legend about those icons which makes this church such a visitor and vow center.

According to the tacit; in Byzantine period, when the area is under military occupation, the priests who wanted to rescue the icons and other holy objects in Aya Yorgi, hide them under the ground and covered them with soil. After many years, St. Aya Yorgi appeared in one shepherd’s dream and told him to climb the way up to church and dig the soil where he hears the bell’s ringing.

Although the shepherd did not take this dream into much consideration, after having the same dream three nights onward, he said “i shall see for myself” and has climbed the way up to church barefoot (may be from poverty) and in silence (may be because he climbed alone). What he saw in his dream has become reality and as he got closer to church he heard the church bell ringing and stopped there and started to dig that exact point in the ground and found those burried icons and holy objects. Besides, they were as new as the day they were burried.

The said icons and other objects are today exhibited in Aya Yorgi church. According to the information written on church’s wall; the said church is not place where the icons were primarily kept but it is the second restored church out of three, constructed by a modern priest.

Aya Yorgi is also accepted as one of the two pilgrimage points of Christians (the other one is House of Virgin Mary in Ephessus - Izmir), and at two specific dates in a year (23rd April & 24th September) is full with stream of visitors; so that neither in ships nor in the way that lead to the church and in the church, may you not find an empty place to step. According to the Christian belief, the people who walk the way up to the church are half-pilgrimages, and in order to fulfill the pilgrimage the House of Virgin Mary in Ephessus – Izmir must be visited.  In the mentioned dates, you must reach the island early in the morning or the gates of the church my be closed due to crowd. From time to time, even the police’s help is needed in order to  organizse the crowd. Lucky visitors climb the way up to the church in silence and make a wish in the church; if they have a wish they take a bell or a key from the church. If a person’s wish comes true, they have to come back to the church and return the object they have taken; they are preferred to also bring some oil with them. (n.b. without comment: When Seyda, whose wish came true, has forgotten to return the key she has taken, a priest appeared in her dream and reminded that to her).  The church is open for visitors in other times of the year as well.

The way that leads to Aya Yorgi church are full with the ropes tied up onto the bushes, multiple stones on top of each other, unwinded rope spools. Upon the common belief, the person who climbs up this path in silence and ties up ropes onto the bushes on the way, has wealth and his/her wish come true, and person who unwinds a rope spool while climbing up, has lucky break and good fortune.

Aya Yorgi has gorgeous air and a tranquil scenery, and the restaurant nearby offers delicious meals. Wine served in this area is an exclusive production specially made by church’s priests and is quite tasty. Visiting Buyukada, and leaving it without having a meal would be considered as a great loss.