AYAVUKLA CHURCH ART CENTRE
The Ayavukla Church that was built by the Greek Orthodox Community in the second half of the 19th century is known as the only Greek church that survived the 1922 fire, which was an important event in the history of İzmir. The structure started to serve as the Asar-ı Atika Museum to exhibit the antique artefacts regarding İzmir and the surrounding area with the directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 14 February 1924. Following this, it was made into an opera practice hall by the Ministry of Culture. The building was evacuated because of the fire that it went through and for a while was desolate.
The structure, which was the property of the Treasury of Finance before was declared as a “Cultural Heritage that ought to be Under Protection”. The Structure was then transferred onto the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality by the General Directorate of the National Rental Office. The church was also restored with the restoration work started in 2009 and was added to the city. The third press museum of Turkey after the ones in İstanbul and Bursa also opened for service in the extension part near the building. The Ayavukla Church joined the cultural and artistic life in İzmir with the “Des Equlibres” Concert that took place as part of the 25th International İzmir Festival in 2011.
