Possible reopening of seminary on Heybeliada back in spotlight

ISTANBUL

The possible reopening of a historic Orthodox seminary, located on one of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, has returned to the spotlight following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the United States.

During his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 25, Erdoğan said Türkiye was “ready to do whatever is necessary” regarding the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada.

He also announced that he would meet with Bartholomew I of Istanbul's Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to discuss a possible reopening.

Trump welcomed Erdoğan’s remarks, saying, “The Greek Orthodox Church was here [at the White House] and they would really like to have some help, they need some help and I said I’d mention it.”

Bartholomew, who met Trump on Sept. 15, later stated that he conveyed his expectation that the seminary would resume admitting students by September 2026.

Efforts to reopen the seminary, which has remained closed for more than half a century, have intensified in recent months. Both government officials and representatives of the Patriarchate have recently signaled a mutual willingness to move forward with the reopening.

Founded in 1844 as the Higher Orthodox Theological School of Halki under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate, the seminary was established to train clergy for the Greek Orthodox Church.

Throughout both the Ottoman and Turkish Republican periods, it provided education for clergy serving the Patriarchate’s metropolises and affiliated churches.

The institution was a point of contention during the negotiations of the Lausanne Treaty in 1922–23. It was ultimately shut down in 1971 following legal changes concerning private educational institutions. At the time of its closure, it offered four years of secondary education and three years of theological training.

The reopening of the school resurfaced on the agenda in 2024. On May 12, Erdoğan told Greek media outlets that “efforts were underway” to reopen the seminary.

Later, on May 28, Education Minister Yusuf Tekin visited the site, stating in a subsequent interview that he personally supported its reopening.