Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua (Mersin)

At the beginning of the 19th century, Mersin was a small village and the Christian population of the region was concentrated in nearby Tarsus (birthplace of St Paul) .

On 18 September 1855, the Ottoman sultan Abdulmejid I gave the firman (decree) to build a church.

The church and an accompanying school under the direction of Capucine friars continued up to the World War I in which both Italy and France were opposers of Turkey.

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