The Church of the Mother of God at Vefa

This short documentary is the culmination of a summer of ethnographic research in Istanbul in Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches. This particular church also allowed us to video the "first of the month" joint prayers on August 1st, 2013. Recorded are the particular rituals and prayers that Orthodox and Muslims participants as well as some foreign tourists and pilgrims perform on that day. Also known as the First of the Month Church, this Church is open Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as every first of the month.

By Noah Arjomand and Karen Barkey.

For more information, see the Shared Sacred Sites: Ethnographic Research in Istanbul.