Notre Dame du Rosaire Church built in 1895, is now the Yeldeğirmeni Sanat Merkezi (YSM), a cultural centre under the direction of Kadıköy municipality, hosting concerts and talks in the heart of this up and coming neighbourhood. 

The arts centre is located in the historically interesting Yeldeğirmeni (‘Windmill’) suburb of Kadıköy, near the coast on the northern (Haydarpaşa) side of the ferry port.

The quarter is named after the four windmills constructed there during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid I, which worked from 1774 to 1789. It was during this period that the quarter was given proper streets, and in 1792 Ahmet Ağa, one of Sultan Selim III’s footmen, had a public fountain (çeşme) built there. This was followed in 1836 by a mosque constructed by order of Sultan Mahmut II; it was subsequently repaired by Rasim Paşa, then Minister of Marine, in 1905. Yeldeğirmeni was also the location of Kadıköy’s first post office, opened in 1845. The Church of St George, the first Greek Orthodox church to be built in this quarter, appeared in 1898. Jewish people began to settle in Yeldeğirmeni in the 1890s, and it was here that they built their first synagogue, the Hemdat Israel.

If you wish to conduct a brief exploration of this fascinating quarter, continue along İskele Sokak after passing the Yeldeğirmeni Arts Centre and turn right into Karakolhane Sokak, the second side street on the right. Here, on your left, you will find the Greek Orthodox Church of St George (Ayios Yeoryios or Aya Yorgi Kilisesi). The bell in its bell tower is said to have been cast by Zilciyan Usta of Samatya, a famous bell manufacturer (usta means ‘master craftsman’). Walking further along Karakolhane Caddesi, turn right into İzzettin Sokak at the third intersection. Here, on your right, you will see the Hemdat Israel Synagogue, opened in 1899 under the auspices of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The word ‘Hemdat’ comes from the same root as the Arabic word hamd, meaning ‘praise’ – in this case, to the Sultan.