Phanar Greek Orthodox College (Turkish: Özel Fener Rum Lisesi), known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation (Greek: Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή, Megáli toú Genous Skholí) is the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul. The school, like all minority schools in Turkey, is a secular one and it is also known as The Old School or The Red School since the present building was built with red bricks brought from France.
Established in 1454 after the decree of Mehmed II which allowed the Greek Orthodox people to be educated in their own language, it soon became the school of the prominent Greek and Bulgarian families in the Ottoman Empire, and many Ottoman ministers as well as Wallachian and Moldavian princes appointed by the Ottoman state graduated from it.
Designed by the Ottoman Greek architect Konstantinos Dimadis, the building was erected between 1881 and 1883 with an eclectic mix of different styles and at a cost of 17,210 Ottoman gold pounds, a huge sum for that period. Despite its function as a school, the building is often referred to as "the 5th largest castle in Europe" because of its castle-like shape.
The building consists of a basis and three floors with an area of 3020 m² available for use. The large dome at the top of the building (40 m high) is used as an observatory for astronomy classes and has a large antique telescope inside. The school (like all minority schools, as it is compulsory by law) applies the full Turkish curriculum in addition to Greek subjects: Greek language, literature and religion.
You can find more information about the college (photos, courses, number of students, teachers) in its Turkish webpage (visit link).
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