[3] It was designed and constructed in 1898 by the French-Ottoman architect Alexander Vallaury as a luxury hotel and casino, named Prinkipo Palace, for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, the European passenger train company that operated the Orient Express.

On April 21, 1964, during heightened tension of the Cyprus issue and persecution against the local Greek population by the state authorities the orphanage was forcefully closed by the General Directorate of Foundations (Vakif Genel Mudurlugu).

[3] The site was included on the 2012 World Monuments Watch and is presently classified as "Rescue Needed" by Global Heritage Network.

[8] But the plea came at a time of fresh tensions between Greece and Turkey over an array of issues, including the protection of Byzantine and Greek heritage in Istanbul.

In 2003, the Patriarchate had submitted all required documents to show evidence of its ownership to the Supreme Administrative Court in Turkey.

The Supreme Administrative Court dismissed the claims and argued that the foundation had lost its function as an orphanage and has become a seized asset (Turkish: mazbut vakıf).