Metal icons at Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul

In the first half of the 18th century, communities of Russian origin, who had taken refuge in the Ottoman Empire, lived in four different regions in the Republic of Turkey during the second half of the 20th century: Manyas Kocagöl Village, Beyşehir Kumluca Island, Gürsu Village connected to Akşehir Tuzlukçu, and around Kars. This doctoral thesis examines 186 copper casting works consisting of single and multiple leaf and cross icons belonging to the Old Believer communities of Kuban, Don Cossack, and Nekrasovite, known by their most recognized names as Binev(s) in today's Manyas Kocagöl Village, Ignatlar/Kınatlar Village in today's Beyşehir Kumluca Island, and Akşehir Cigidiya, now known as Gürsu Village of Akşehir Tuzlukçu district. The works belong to the collection of the Hagia Sophia Museum. This study is the first to publish the copper casting works of Old Believers of Russian origin who took refuge in the Ottoman Empire in the first half of the 18th century, and it provides information based on official documents for the first time in this work about other liturgical works that have no written documents and their whereabouts. In the study, initiated in 2017, the works were examined for the first and last time in groups of 10 and 15 between June 29 and July 10, 2020, their photographs were taken, and their measurements were recorded. This work also includes some of the research results conducted between 2018–2020 in the Recklinghausen and Frankfurt Icon Museums and libraries abroad, as well as interviews with Old Believers who live in the cities of Manyas, Kars, Kayseri, and Istanbul in Turkey; and also with those residing in the USA, Canada, Belgium, Egypt, and Germany who emigrated from Turkey. The direction of the study has been determined by examinations conducted in archives and libraries in Germany where research on Old Believers was done before Russia and where early written sources are found. Research conducted in Germany between 2020-2021 indicated that the works need to be examined again. Since the works could not be re-examined, academic validations could not be performed, and only a part of the information obtained has been used in this doctoral thesis. It is expected that this comprehensive first study conducted in Turkey on 186 copper casting liturgical works from the Hagia Sophia Museum collection will make significant contributions to art history and cultural heritage studies. Key Words: Old Believers, Ignat Nekrasov, Copper Casting Icons, Kossak Village, Copper Casting Crosses.