DEREKÖY CHURCH 

Ancient church in Dereköy holds on to the life, defying time in Mudanya. Named after “Potamia,” which means “creek” in Greek, Dereköy (“Creek Village”) hosts this stupendous and timeless church. Remains of Greek Orthodox Church, the most important and still-extant monument in the neighborhood, takes the guests to a long journey within history. Built back in 1857, Dereköy Church stands out with its architecture and characteristics of ritual elements within. The local Greeks left for Greece in 1922; nevertheless, it was settled by Muslim Turks coming from Thessaloniki and nearby Drama, Kavala, Ioannina, Almopia, Lagkadas and Crete as of 1924. Muslim Turks used the building as mosque until 1972. From then on, it was devastated due to natural wear and tear, as well as careless use. The church is now under protection of General Directorate of Foundations. The pulpit was taken to the warehouse of Bursa Museum of Archeology because of degradation. The church stands out with plaster and wooden ornaments; there are embossed cherubim of plaster in circular medallions on the windows on north and south walls of the naos. Reliefs are painted in green, claret red, red and gold bronze; some of the reliefs were removed and devastated by visiting Greek tourists. According to volume 4 of Foundation Monuments and Ancient Works in Türkiye (Türkiye’de Vakıf Abideler ve Eski Eserler) by General Directorate of Foundations, “we hope this iconostasis, unique among Anatolian examples with its technical and artistic value, is preserved as necessary.”