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A 181-year-old former Greek Orthodox church in southern Türkiye has found an unlikely second life as a public library, and readers are flocking to it.
The Adana Provincial Public Library, whose original building was severely damaged in the catastrophic earthquakes that struck southeastern Türkiye on February 6, 2023, has welcomed more than 65,000 visitors in just 16 months since reopening inside the historic Aya Nikola Church. The disaster, centered near the city of Kahramanmaras, killed more than 50,000 people and left vast stretches of infrastructure across the region in ruins.
Rather than waiting for a conventional replacement facility, authorities relocated the library, which serves nearly 37,400 active members, to the stone-walled Aya Nikola Church, a striking Ottoman-era structure built by Adana’s local Greek community in 1845. The church, also known locally as the Kurukopru Church, stands in a historic neighborhood of Adana, a major city of around two million people near the Mediterranean coast.
The building has a layered history that reflects Türkiye’s turbulent modern past. After its congregation dispersed following the 1923 population exchange between Türkiye and Greece, a treaty-mandated mass migration that uprooted roughly two million people on both sides of the Aegean, the church stood empty before being repurposed several times over the decades as an archaeology museum, an ethnography museum, and a monument museum. Now, its vaulted interior is lined with books.
The library opened at its new location on October 20, 2023, and holds nearly 70,000 books along with 25 periodicals. It is open Monday through Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“This has become a very beautiful public library,” said Dogan Sen, director of the Adana Provincial Public Library. “Those who come here enjoy their time, benefit from the materials, and do their research in this historic place. Because it is such a beautiful space, our citizens are very drawn to it. This makes us happy. It has been good for our Adana.”
Sen added that the library regularly hosts events such as author-reader meet-and-greet sessions, making it a cultural hub as well as a study space.
Visitors say the atmosphere sets the library apart. “The historical ambiance here makes me feel peaceful and I can focus better and study,” said Hatice Ates, a regular visitor who often comes with friends. “It’s very nice to study in this kind of building.”
Figen Karatas, a teacher, said the space has proven especially valuable for students. “It’s a place where they can work more focused and efficiently within a historic structure,” she said. “Even short breaks feel valuable here. The building itself is motivating.”
The library’s story has drawn attention as an example of adaptive reuse after disaster, repurposing a centuries-old religious monument not only to preserve it, but also to serve the public in an immediate, practical way.
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