Ancient church organ finds second life in İzmir

A remnant of İzmir's Franciscan heritage, the Catholic Church of Santa Maria stands modestly near the city's most famous church, Saint Polycarp. Ever since its construction in 1341, Santa Maria's sober building has shaken with several earthquakes and stood against a few city fires. Destroyed in the 1688 earthquake, it opened its doors a decade later, thanks to the support of the Dutch community in İzmir. When a fire destroyed the church in 1889, Emperor Franz Jose financed its restoration. 

Today, the modest church, ornamented with the scenes of Madonna and baby Jesus as well as statues of the Virgin, is home to an annual musical event that revolves around the church's organ - a remnant of the 19th century that was restored three years ago.

"I grew up in that church," said Lucien Arkas, the third-generation boss of Arkas Holding and its head of executive committee. Arkas' grandfathers emigrated from Marseille to İzmir in the 18th century and traded in this city for centuries. "I have always wondered why there was not a church organ. I was told that there was one but it did not work for several decades. I was persuaded that it could be restored," he said. 

The church's organ, built in the 19th century in Verona, Italy, enjoyed a very short life before the earthquake and other damages had silenced its 1600 pipes and no one knew how to repair it.

Arkas, an energetic 72-year-old with magnetic blue eyes and a quick sense of humor, is not one to take no for an answer.  Despite claims that winemaking was difficult in Turkey, he launched the LA Wines in 2010 and called one of his signature wines "Mon Reve" - my dream - as a wink to a dream many people found unrealistic. In 2011, he launched Arkas Art Gallery at the heart of the Aegean port...

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