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The revival of Christianity in Turkey is an ongoing phenomenon since the 2000s, describing the apparent increase of either state rights (allowing ethnic Christians to be taught in their mother tongue, the free use to openly practice Christianity), an increase of the Indigenous Christian population of certain areas, or an increase in the building/restoration of churches throughout Turkey. This revival can be specifically seen in various events since World War One, which saw a catastrophic decrease of native Christians in Turkey.

Before 1915

See also: Christianity in Turkey

Christianity has a long and ancient history within Anatolia, beginning back to the early origins and spread of the religion out of the Levant. With the rise and spread of the Ottoman Empire, the Empire enacted the Dhimmi System, which put non-Muslims as second class citizens in the Empire for centuries to come.

The Ottoman state did not participate in forced conversions of Christian groups, allowing (most notably) the Greeks, Assyrian and Armenian ethnic groups to keep their identity. Through various policies, areas that once contained Christian majorities in Eastern and Western Anatolia became intermixed with Muslim groups.

With the spread of nationalism in the world, Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks all created movements of their own to form their own independent states, which started the various massacres and Islamization of Ottoman minority groups (such as the Hamidian Massacres, the 1909 Adana Massacre), and many Christian villages were destroyed or plummeted by Muslim groups.

1915-1923

Main article: Late Ottoman Genocides

Due to years of gradual anti-Christian policies, the ruling Young Turks with the start of World War One began state sanctioned policies of genocide and destruction. Villages were destroyed, Christians deported, businesses confiscated and churches either looted, destroyed or turned into mosques. Overall, 3 million Christians lost their lives during these events.

The second catastrophe that drove down the number of Christians in Turkey was the Greco-Turkish War and the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne, which forced over 1.3 million Christians in Turkey to relocate to Greece. The violence and the war crimes committed during the Greco-Turkish War also destroyed much cultural heritage remaining, culminating in the Great Smyrna Fire, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Greeks and Armenians.

Subsequent decline before the 2000s

1920s-1940s

In the post-war period of the Turkish War of Independence, Christian groups lay scattered and in small numbers, but they were nonetheless present in the new Republic. Despite the Treaty of Lausanne giving protection and rights to the Greek and Armenian minorities of Turkey (specifically in Istanbul), Christians continued facing harsh obstacles within the country. Assyrians, despite having no protections in the country, still maintained a sizeable number in southern Turkey.

Armenians for their part, laid mostly in Istanbul, due to the limited protections given to the community, or scattered throughout Eastern Anatolia, the majority of them being Islamized. In addition, all Christian groups were further ostracized due to various Turkification laws felt since 1923 (see for further information: Turkification)

Revival

While discrimination still exists throughout the decades, various events have shown a change in tone in how Christians are treated to this day. Some of the biggest events include the assassination of Hrant Dink, an event that was publicly condemned in Turkey, with thousands of Turks attending his funeral and hoping to end discrimination within the country.

Assyrians in Turkey

Seeing an exodus of Assyrians from southern Turkey due to the conflict with the PKK, various Assyrians in the diaspora have made the decision to return to their abandoned villages, in order to protect and revitalize the small Assyrian communities. Other Assyrians have been funding statewide efforts to improve the overall living situation, to open schools and rebuild abandoned churches. This change can also be seen in the inaguration of the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church in 2023, the first Assyrian church built since 1923.

Armenians in Turkey

Since the 2000s, there has been a change in how Christians, especially Armenians, are viewed in Turkey. This is evident through the increasing amount of Turks finding/embracing their previously unknown Armenian ancestory. Increased studies show that perhaps millions of Turks have at least one Armenian grandparent. At the same time, more and more Armenian churches are being rebuilt/refinanced, many of which were abandoned since the 1920s. The biggest of which is the Aghtamar Church, rerenovated in 2010.