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The Church of St. John is Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Izmir and it is situated ,n the heart of the city. The permission to build a cathedral in Smyrna was acquired from Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz in 1857. The Sultan even donated 11.000 Lire gold. The construction started in 1862 and finished in 1874. The building is in Neo-classical style. The Pope Pius IX donated to the Cathedral the main altar. The Archdiocese of Lyon (France) donated the 14 stations of the Via Crucis paintings. During the following years, the church was adorned with fine paintings, stained glass windows, marble altars, and interesting statues. There was also bishop’s palace and the diocesan Curia nearby. The city suffered from occupation of the Greek army after the WWI and the complex severely damaged during the great fire of 1922, when occupying Greek army was forced to leave upon victory of Turkish army. Only one stained-glass windows made in Paris by Paul Gaudin in 1901 survived.

Smyrna (now İzmir) was an important town during the Roman era. Being the 3rd biggest city in Turkey now, the city has lost most of its earlier urban texture. The ancient city of Smyrna was removed from earlier location by Alexander the Great to the slopes of Mount Pagos (now Kadifekale) in the 4th century B.C. on which the fortress still dominates the silhouette of the town. Recent excavations reveals ancient agora and theatre standing at the heart of the city center. It was the main export harbor in the Ottoman times where a remarkable multi-ethnic and multi-religious society lived together. In addition to local Turkish Muslims, Jews, Greek and Armenian Christians as well as Levantines (both Catholic and Protestants) formed the population of the city. It was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean basin.

The church itself is one of the still active catholic churches in İzmir. In 1965 the church was granted to the military staff of NATO and their families. Therefore due to strict military protection, it was not open to local people. This grant was cancelled in 2013 and since then it became available to the locals.

The multi-ethnic and multi-religion society of Izmir enjoyed decades of prosperity in the 19th century until the break of WWI. Even the city had a mixed population; demographic structure was well defined by districts. The business was mostly in the hands of Levantines and their district, where the Church of St. John is. With the population exchange in 1922 between Greece and Turkey, the demographic structure of the city drastically changed becoming overwhelmingly Muslim. In due course of time the numbers of Christians and Jews living in the city decreased.

The didactical relevance and the proposed way to use with the students:
- Direct visit
A direct visit, if possible, would be the best way for students to experience the atmosphere of the place.
- Virtual visit (specify how)
A PPT presentation prepared by the tutor enriched with visuals.
- Classroom activity (pre- and post- visit)
Pre-visit activity: A research by students on history of Izmir during Ottoman era with special attention to multi-ethnic and multi-religion society.
Compare the bigger harbor town (or commercial hub) and demographics of its population.
Post-visit:
Discussion if trade had a role in multi-ethnic and multi-religion society.