The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the spiritual heart of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch who holds a primacy of honour among the world's Orthodox churches. It has been based in the Fener district, just up the Golden Horn from Balat, since the early 17th century, a quiet survivor of the centuries since the fall of Constantinople.
At its centre is the Church of St George, a modest-looking basilica whose interior holds remarkable treasures: a gilded iconostasis, ancient icons, the patriarchal throne said to date from Byzantine times, and relics of several saints. The compound is unassuming from the street — security is tight and its profile deliberately low — but for the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians this is a place of the first importance. Dress modestly and visit respectfully.