St. John’s Cathedral reopened in Turkey's İzmir

İZMİR - Doğan News Agency

The first service was held in the cathedral after the restoration process. AA photo

St. John’s Cathedral Basilica, which served the U.S. soldiers in NATO for 50 years, has been reopened to serve Christians living in İzmir following restoration works. The first service was held at the weekend in the cathedral, which is located in the Alsancak neighborhood.

After serving the U.S. soldiers for years, the rental contract of the cathedral was not renewed and went under restoration. The opening ceremony of the cathedral hosted İzmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu, Deputy Mayor İbrahim Ballı, Konak mufti Zeki Aksoy and others.

The İzmir Latin Catholic Pontiff Ruggero Framaschini said that the cathedral would be open to citizens after the use of NATO soldiers, adding, “The cathedral is the most important Catholic structure in the Asian land.”

The opening ceremony ended after the service.