St. John the Evangelist's Anglican Church, Izmir

St. John the Evangelist's Anglican Church, Izmir
Country	Turkey
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
Website	Official website
History
Consecrated	1899
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Administration
Archdeaconry	Eastern Archdeaconry
Diocese	Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe
Clergy
Chaplain(s)	Rev. Ron Evans

The Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist, also known simply as St. John's, is located in Izmir, Turkey.^[1]

Worship

St. John’s is liturgically Anglo-Catholic by tradition with the use of vestments, holy water and incense.

The interior of the church

The baptismal font is traditionally placed near the main entrance to the church to symbolise the fact that it is by baptism Anglicans become members of the church. The font is in the shape of a shell, an ancient Christian symbol of pilgrimage.

In 1904 a new bishop, Bishop William Collins, was appointed to the diocese. On a visit for a confirmation in 1911, Bishop Collins died on board SS Saghelien in the bay of Izmir, and is buried in the crypt of St John’s. His gravestone is behind the font. On the wall above, there is a picture of Bishop Collins, of the chalice containing the episcopal ring, and a copy of the statement from him setting out the jurisdictions of the three Anglican chaplains here at the time.

Above the grave on the west wall are a number of memorials, the older ones were brought here from All Saints Buca when it was closed and handed to the council. The stained glass window was made by the Bavarian Art Company in Munich.

The east window can be seen on entering the church with a traditional depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with his mother Mary on his right and St. John on his left. At the base of the window, there is a scene depicting St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, bound in chains on his way to execution in Rome, being greeted by St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was himself martyred here in the stadium at the foot of Mount Pagus. The window was designed and produced by Charles Eamer Kempe, a well-known stained glass designer of the time.

The sanctuary lamp, originally in a Greek church was given in memory of a parishioner, Patricia Ringenbach, and was dedicated on September 1994. The sanctuary lamp burns to tell people that bread from the Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle, the cupboard itself was given in memory of a former chaplain, Rev. Mr. Tupholme (1959–73). Amongst the other items within the church inventory are a pair of crosses laid on the altar table whose style suggests origins of Russia and Ethiopia respectively.^[2]

Notable burials

• William Collins (bishop) (1867–1911), the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar

Gallery

• 
  The baptismal font of St. John the Evangelist's Church, Izmir
• 
  The altar crucifix
• 
  Angel Lectern
• 
  The grave epitaph of William Edward Collins, Bishop of Gibraltar

References