“A Legacy of Five Centuries: Istanbul’s Feriköy Protestant Cemetery,” poster presented at the ASCE 2019 conference “Heritage Cemeteries in the 21st Century,” 3-5 October 2019, Ghent, Belgium

The Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE, www.significantcemeteries.org) is a professional organization dedicated to protecting and publicizing historic European cemeteries as heritage sites. It holds events, including conferences and tours, and produces publications to promote European cemeteries as an essential part of humanity’s legacy. In 2019 the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative presented a poster at ASCE’s annual conference, and in 2022 it secured the cemetery's official membership in the Association.

 

“Testament to a Cosmopolitan Past: Istanbul’s Ferikoy Protestant Cemetery: Preserving Its Legacy for the Future,” paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Gravestone Studies, 18-27 June 2021

Founded over forty years ago, the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS, www.gravestonestudies.org) is an international organization that promotes the study and preservation of gravestones and cemeteries through conferences, workshops, and publications. At AGS’s 2021 annual conference, Brian Johnson and Richard Wittmann presented a paper on the history of the Ferikoy Protestant Cemetery and the efforts to conserve it.

 

First Annual Celebration of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative, 8 December 2022

The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative’s first annual celebration was organized to mark the cemetery’s official membership in the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe. It opened with the presentation of the ASCE certificate to the president of the cemetery’s governing board, Kirsten Thompson, US Consulate, Istanbul. This was followed by a flute solo by Johannes Regenbrecht, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, and a singing performance by the members of the German High School choral group. The event ended with a small reception and cake cutting in front of the chapel. The celebration was attended by the German, Swedish, Hungarian, Swiss, Dutch, UK, and US diplomatic corps; the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative; the German High School; and Istanbul’s Robert College.

 

Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative “Open Day,” 18 June 2023

Aimed at raising awareness about the cemetery among the wider public, this special event was attended by a large, select group of diplomats, academicians, and members of the expat community interested in becoming involved with the site. Besides refreshments, the participants were treated to a presentation and tour about the cemetery’s ecology and had the opportunity to view a poster display highlighting three major Initiative projects, including the British Institute at Ankara’s yearlong study of the cemetery’s plants and trees and its 3D scanning effort to document the heritage of Monument Row, as well as a project to renovate several tombs in the cemetery’s American section funded by the US Mission to Türkiye.

 

 

 

“The Feriköy Protestant Cemetery and the Heritage of Monument Row,”

Church Monuments Society online lecture, 25 November 2023

Established in 1979, the Church Monuments Society (CMS, www.churchmonumentssociety.org) in the United Kingdom, encourages the study and conservation of tombs and funerary art both in the UK and abroad. Besides public events, such as online lectures and a biennial symposium, it publishes an internationally recognized peer-reviewed journal, Church Monuments. In 2023 Daniel-Joseph MacArthur-Seal (former BIAA assistant director) and Brian Johnson (ARIT) gave a talk for the Society on the history and heritage of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery and the memorial stones of Monument Row, which is viewable on the CMS YouTube channel.

 

Second Annual Celebration of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative, 15 December 2023

Besides celebrating the holidays, this event—which marked the five-year anniversary of the Initiative and its efforts for the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery—showcased the results of a major 2023 preservation project in the cemetery’s American section, funded by the US Mission to Türkiye as well as a private donor, and highlighted the completion of a year-long study of the cemetery’s ecology supported by the British Institute at Ankara.

Attended by members of foreign diplomatic missions and research centers, students and administrators from Istanbul’s Robert College, and other guests, the event opened with speeches and a music program in the cemetery’s chapel, continued with a tour of the renovation area, and ended with a reception, which included the cutting of an “Initiative cake.”

Robert College also held a memorial ceremony beside four of the newly restored tombs that commemorate family members of the school's founder, Cyrus Hamlin. A new RC memorial plaque on the wall behind the tombs was also unveiled, along with a newly designed information panel for the cemetery's US section.

 

“Five Years Sustaining a Five-Century Legacy. Efforts to Preserve the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery 2018-23, Istanbul’s Main International Burial Place,” paper presented at the “International Conference on Cemetery Studies,” Harokopio University, Athens, Greece, 18-20 April 2024

In April 2024, Harokopio University held a conference with the Cemetery Research Group at the University of York, UK, that presented the current research of academics and professionals alike on various aspects of cemeteries, including history, art, culture, anthropology, geography, social studies, and cemetery tourism. Brian Johnson and Richard Wittmann’s paper highlighted the importance of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery as a heritage site and the Initiative’s efforts of half a decade to conserve it.

 

 

 

Third Annual Celebration of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery Initiative, 1 December 2024

Participants at the Initiative’s 2024 seasonal event enjoyed a talk and tour about the cemetery’s botanical wealth, two musical performances, and the now-traditional cutting of the “Initiative cake.” The chapel was filled to capacity, and the number of attendees at the celebration was greater than on any previous special occasion hosted by the Initiative.