Turkish Name: Bulgar Kilisesi . Sveti Stefan Bulgarian Church is a Bulgarian Orthodox church located at the shore of the Golden Horn, founded in the middle of the courtyard covered with bars. The church belongs to the Bulgarian minority in Istanbul. The Bulgarians were used to pray at the churches of the Phanar Orthodox Patriarchy, but later in the 19th century, Bulgarians were allowed a national church, the Bulgarian Exarchate. Originally, there was a small wooden church built on the shore of the Golden Horn between Balat and Fener squares. Statesman Stefan Bogoridi had donated a house which was reorganized as a wooden church. It was opened on 9 October 1849 and became an important witness of the Bulgarian National Revival. On 28 Februay, 1870, the Ottoman royal decree establishing the Bulgarian Exarchate was first read in the church.

A fire broke out and as a consequence, the original wooden church became in ruins and on its place was constructed the larger building of today. Architect Hovsep Aznavur, an Armenian of Istanbul origin, observed that the construction area is filled soil and thus was not safe enough and suggested the place of the church now. The new construction was decided to be built by steel and covered with sheet and cast plates which would be much lighter. To supply the prefabricated parts of the church, an international competition was held and won by an Austrian company, R. Ph. Waagner. The prefabricated parts were produced in Vienna between 1893 - 1896 and weighed 500 tons. The parts then were transported to Istanbul by water through the Danube River and the Black Sea.

Construction of the church was completed in 1898 and opened by Exarch Joseph on 8 September that year. The main skeleton of the church being made of steel, was covered by metal boards. All the pieces were attached to each other with nuts, bolts, or welding.

The architectural style of the church combines Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque influences. The church has three domes and planned in the style of a cross-shaped basilica. The altar faces the Golden Horn and a belfry that is 40m high. The six bells of the church were cast in Yaroslavl. Over two naves and the narthex, there are gallery floors having U shape. On the Iconostasis there are many icons depicting scenes of Saint Stephan, Saint Petrus, Baptist YAhya, Mary and Child Jesus.