The edifice lies in Istanbul, in the district of Beyoğlu, at 215, Istiklal Caddesi,[1] (the ancient Grande Rue de Pera), at the bottom of a steep staircase, which is protected by an artistic fence.

In 1453, a few months before the Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople, Observant Franciscan Friars completed the construction of the church of Saint Anthony of the Cypresses (Italian: Sant'Antonio dei Cipressi) in Sirkeci (at that time center of the venetian Merchants in Constantinople), on the southern bank of the Golden Horn, but soon after the Conquest they were forced to abandon it.

[2] After several peregrinations, in 1584 they moved to Galata, in the neighborhood of Mumhane (English: Candle workshop), where a Levantine woman, Clara Maria Draperis, endowed them a house with a tiny chapel.

The complex has an entrance in neoclassical style - embellished by a statue of the Virgin in a niche - on Istiklal Caddesi, which is followed by a flight of steps leading downhill to the church.

The imposing main altar, erected in 1772, is made of pink Carrara marble and is adorned with the Icon donated by Maria Draperis.

[3] The two stained glass windows on the apse are of German school and represent Saint Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.