Samatya (
Greek: Ψαμάθεια,
romanized: Psamatheia;
Armenian: Սամաթիա) is a quarter of the
Fatih district of
Istanbul. It is located along the
Marmara Sea, and borders to the west on the neighborhood of
Yedikule (the "Castle of the Seven Towers").
Etymology
The name originates from the Greek word psamathion (Ψαμάθιον), meaning "sandy", because of the great quantity of sand found in the quarter.[1]
History
About 383 AD, the first monastic institution was established in Constantinople, at Psamatheia, at that time still outside the
walled city.[2]
Up to recent times, Samatya was mostly inhabited by
Armenians, who were settled here in 1458 by Sultan
Mehmet II,[3] and who own there the church of Surp Kevork, also called Sulu Manastiri (Water's monastery) – previously an
Eastern Orthodox church which dates back to before the
Ottoman conquest,[3] and by
Greeks, who have the churches of Hristos Analipsis and Haghios Menas.[4]
The quarter was destroyed in 1782 by one of the largest fires of Istanbul ever recorded.[3]
Samatya today
In Samatya there is also an important public hospital, the Istanbul Educational and Research Hospital İstanbul Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi.
Janin, Raymond (1964). Constantinople Byzantine (in French) (2 ed.). Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines.
Müller-Wiener, Wolfgang (1977). Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul bis zum Beginn d. 17 Jh (in German). Tübingen: Wasmuth.
ISBN978-3-8030-1022-3.