Halki seminary

It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the Turkish parliament enacted a law banning private higher education institutions in 1971.

The seminary is located on the site of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded by Patriarch Photius I almost a thousand years before the foundation of the theological school.

The facilities include the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, sports and recreational institutions, dormitories, an infirmary, a hospice, offices, and the school's library with its historic collection of books, journals, and manuscripts.

[12] In November 2007, the 17th-century Chapel of Our Lord's Transfiguration at the Halki seminary, which had survived the June 1894 earthquake, was almost totally demolished by Forest Guards of the Turkish forestry authority.

[16] In a speech before the Turkish Parliament on 6 April 2009, US President Barack Obama re-affirmed the need for Turkey to allow the re-opening of the Halki seminary: Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state, which is why steps like reopening the Halki Seminary will send such an important signal inside Turkey and beyond.

"[17]These sentiments were echoed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a dinner in Washington honoring their guest, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

[20] In 2010, a journalist of the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman asked officials at the Ecumenical Patriarchate if there were any plans to take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.

[6] In March 2012, a meeting occurred in South Korea between Prime Minister Erdoğan of Turkey, and President Barack Obama of the United States.

In this meeting, Prime Minister Erdoğan indicated to President Obama that Halki Seminary would be reopened as part of Turkey's efforts to protect religious minorities.

[22] After a meeting with Erdoğan and foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on 25 April 2018, Patriarch Bartholomew said that he was "optimistic" after both Erdogan and Cavusoglu "assured him that the School would soon reopen".