Osmanlı başkenti İstanbul'da Britanya kökenli misyoner okulları ve İskoç bir yapı ustası: Nicholson Burness
British missionary schools and a Scottish builder in the Ottoman capital Istanbul: Nicholson Burness
Yazar: MUSTAFA KAAN SAĞ
Danışman: PROF. DR. NEJAT TURGUT SANER
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimarlık Tarihi Bilim Dalı
Derece: Doktora, 2017
Konu: Din = Religion ; Mimarlık = Architecture ; Tarih = History
Dizin: 19. yüzyıl = 19. century ; Britanya = Britain ; Osmanlı mimarisi = Ottoman architecture ; Osmanlı tarihi = Ottoman history ; Osmanlı toplumu = Ottoman society ; Türk-İngiliz ilişkileri = Turkish English relations ; İngiliz tarihi = British history ; İngilizler = British

Özet:
18. yüzyılda Britanya'da ortaya çıkan Evangelikalizm hareketi, Viktorya döneminde (1837-1901) tüm Britanya ve kolonilerindeki kültürel hayatı ve düşünce biçimlerini etkisi altına almıştır. Dünyada yaşanan olayları "milenyum" odaklı bir tarih algısı içerisinde açıklamaya çalışan Evangelikaller, farklı din ve mezheplere mensup kişileri Protestanlığa çevirme, Hıristiyanlık inancının merkezine İncil'i alma, İncil'in duyurulması konusunda çaba sarf etme gibi temel bazı özellikleri benimsemişlerdir.
Evangelikalizm, ABD ve Britanya'nın başını çektiği 19. yüzyıl Protestan misyonerliğinin temelini oluşturmuştur. Evangelikaller, bu dönemde Britanya'da geniş bir misyonerlik kurumu ve cemiyeti ağı oluşturmuşlardır. Bu kurum ve cemiyetler, Protestan mezhebini ve İncil'i yaymak amacıyla dünya çapında birçok farklı şehirde okul, kolej ve pazar okulu gibi eğitim birimlerinin yanı sıra sağlık hizmeti ve evangelizm/ibadete yönelik birimler kurarak kendi matbaalarında basmış oldukları İncil ve Hıristiyanlık ile ilgili dini metinleri özellikle gelir seviyesi düşük kesimler arasında dağıtmışlardır.
"Milenyum" inancı çerçevesinde Hz. İsa ikinci kez dünyaya gelmeden önce gerçekleşmesi beklenen kehanetlerden biri Yahudilerin Hıristiyanlık inancına çevrilmeleri ve Filistin'e yerleştirilerek İsrail'i tekrar kurmalarıdır. Bahsedilen kehanetin gerçekleşmesi amacıyla Yahudilere odaklanan bir kısım misyonerlik kurum ve cemiyetleri Yahudilerin yoğun olarak yaşadığı ve aralarında Osmanlı Devleti'nin başkenti İstanbul'un da bulunduğu birçok farklı şehirde misyonerlik merkezleri oluşturmuşlardır. Bunlardan Bağımsız İskoç Kilisesi, İskoç Kilisesi ve Londra Yahudiler Cemiyeti, İstanbul'un başta Galata, Hasköy, Balat, Ortaköy olmak üzere Aşkenaz ve Sefarad Yahudilerinin yoğun olarak yaşadığı semtlerinde eğitim, sağlık ve evangelizme yönelik birimler açmış, kalıcı misyonerlik merkezlerini ise Galata ve Hasköy'de kurmuştur.
Evangelikalizm hareketinin etkisiyle İstanbul'da misyonerlik merkezi kuran bir diğer Britanya kökenli cemiyet Friends Dini Cemiyeti'dir. Başlangıçta "Ermeni Misyonu" adındaki misyonlarıyla Doğu Anadolu'da Ermenilere yönelik sağlık hizmeti veren cemiyet, ardından İstanbul'a yoğunlaşarak Kumkapı'da bir misyonerlik merkezi oluşturmuştur. İstanbul'daki Yahudilere yönelik faaliyet gösteren diğer üç Britanya kökenli misyonla iletişim halinde olan Friends Dini Cemiyeti İstanbul Ermeni Misyonu, Ermenileri Quaker mezhebine çevirmenin yanı sıra diğer üç misyondan farklı olarak başta yetim ve dul Ermenilerin dahil edildiği üretim ve satış süreçlerine ağırlık vererek bir hayır kurumu profili çizmiştir.
İstanbul'da kurulan Britanya kökenli misyonerlik merkezlerinin öne çıkan birimleri okul yapıları olmuştur. Bunda eğitimin hedef kitleye ulaşmada sağlık ve ibadet hizmetlerine göre göreceli olarak daha zahmetsiz ve verimli olması yatmaktadır. Bu yapıların bir kısmı günümüzde ayakta olmamasına rağmen, özellikle Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi'nde ulaşılan tamirat ve yeniden inşa dönemlerine ait belge ve proje çizimleri, bahsi geçen misyoner okulları hakkında detaylı bilgilerin gün yüzüne çıkmasını sağlamıştır. Bu bilgiler, çalışma kapsamındaki misyonerlik kurum ve cemiyetlerinin Britanya'daki arşivlerindeki bilgilerle birleştirildiğinde mimari açıdan kilit bir figür olarak tüm bu misyonerlik merkezi ve okul projelerinde imzası bulunan ve hayatının büyük bir kısmını İstanbul'da geçirmiş olan Nicholson Burness isimli İskoç bir yapı ustasına işaret etmektedir. 
Nicholson Burness, 1833'te İskoçya'nın Banchory şehrinde doğmuştur. İstanbul'daki işlerine dair edinilen en eski tarihli bilgi, 1865'te Bağımsız İskoç Kilisesi İstanbul Yahudi Misyonu'nun isteği üzerine Galata'da kira karşılığı kullandıkları binaların değerleri hakkında hazırladığı rapordur. Bilinen ilk inşaat projesi, 1872'de o dönemki ortağı Duff ile gerçekleştirdiği Caledonya (İskoçya) Locası'na ait Hasköy Mason Tapınağı'dır. 1880'de Tarabya'daki Britanya Yazlık Elçiliği projesinde de görev alan Burness, 19. yüzyıl sonu 20. yüzyıl başını kapsayan dönemde çalışma kapsamındaki tüm misyonerlik merkezlerinin projelerini çizmiş ve inşaatlarını gerçekleştirmiştir. 1910'da Galata'daki İngiliz Gemiciler Hastanesi'nde ölen Burness, Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı'na defnedilmiştir.
Kendisi de dindar bir Evangelikal ve Presbiteryen olan Burness'in misyonerlik merkezi ve okul projelerinde yalın bir klasisizm göze çarpmaktadır. Britanya ve İskoçya özelinde dönemin genel mimari tutumu ve dini inançların bu tutum üzerindeki etkisi bunun bir tesadüf olmadığını göstermektedir. Bir Protestan inanç biçimi olan Presbiteryenlik, Reformasyon sonrası gelişen Protestan estetiğinden beslenerek kendi sanat ve mimari dilini yaratmıştır. Özünde yalınlık yatan Protestan estetiği ve mimari anlayışı, Katolik Kilisesi'nin süslü Barok diline karşı mimarlık tarihçilerince "sade stil" ya da "püriten minimalist klasisizmi" olarak adlandırılan bir duruş geliştirmiştir. Burness'in tasarım anlayışı, dolayısıyla 19. yüzyıl Protestan misyonerliğinin mimari açıdan birer örneği olarak İstanbul'daki Britanya kökenli misyonerlik merkezlerinin tasarımı da bu çizginin bir uzantısı olarak değerlendirilmelidir.

Abstract:
Evangelicalism or Evangelical Awakening is a Protestant movement which emerged in the 18th century Britain. During the Victorian Period (1837-1901) it became the most typical form of British Protestantism by influencing cultural life, thought and policy in Britain and its colonies. It emphasized the Bible as authoritative, eternal salvation as possible only by "spiritual rebirth", involving personal trust in Christ, and personal devotion such as Bible reading, prayer, and zeal for evangelism and missions. 
The missionary movement of the 19th century and creation of missionary societies were a direct result of Evangelicalism. In the Victorian age, evangelicals in Great Britain had established a vast network of nonsectarian voluntary societies to promote their causes. These societies endeavored to promote evangelism, establish schools and colleges, distribute Bibles and religious tracts, and spread the gospel among various needy groups worldwide.  
Following the millennial view that Jews should be restored to Palestine and converted to Christianity before Christ's Second Coming, some of these societies and church organizations focused only on the Jews referring to the related prophecy in the Bible. To this end a great number of missionary stations were established in various cities of Europe and Near East with a dense population of Jews, including the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul. Among the societies and church organizations conducting a jewish mission, London Jews Society, Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland constructed long lasting mission centres in Hasköy and Galata, in addition to some educational, medical and religious service units established temporarily in the aforementioned quarters, alongside Balat and Ortaköy districts, which are all together the foremost parts of Istanbul where mostly Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews used to live.
Among these three society and church organizations London Jews Society was the first one which became active in Istanbul. The society began its operations first in 1835 around Tarabya and Büyükdere districts. In 1840, Galata was chosen for the location of a mission house including a school which could only last two years. After a long interruption the society became active once again by opening a school in Ortaköy in 1851, which got closed in 1855 due to a fire disaster in the district. From 1855 until 1862 the society managed three different schools in Balat, Piripaşa and Kurtuluş and finally decided to move its mission to Hasköy. From 1862 until 1914 it became the permanent location of a mission centre consisting a wooden mission house and a purpose-built school and chapel building on the same site. 
Church of Scotland started its Jewish mission in Istanbul in 1842 by taking over Galata mission house and school from London Jews Society. One year later when Free Church of Scotland was formed by Evangelicals who broke from Church of Scotland, Galata station was left to the Free Church missionaries. In 1859 Church of Scotland became active again in Balat district in a rental building used as a mission house and school. Due to the reactions of Balat rabbis, in 1860 the Church decided to move the mission to Hasköy district and Hasköy became the permanent location of its mission centre. In 1872 the Church built a school/mission house building in the neighborhood. In 1879 the Hasköy Mechanics Institute building was bought by the mission and converted into a church and medical unit. Following the closure of two mission buildings in the WWI years, Church of Scotland turned back in 1921 to Galata and worked with Free Church of Scotland under the name "Scottish mission, British Schools" until 1930.
Having an intertwined history with Church of Scotland Istanbul Jewish Mission, Free Church of Scotland started its Jewish mission in 1843 in Galata. Following some fruitless attempts in Hasköy, the mission moved to a new rental building in Galata in 1864. In 1873 Free Church of Scotland built its first building functioning as both school, mission house and church on a new site in the same district. In 1887 a girls school/dispensary building, in 1890 a girls home building and finally in 1909 an additional boys school building were added to the mission complex on the same site. The mission centre, consisting of four separate buildings, was closed in 1915 due to the turmoil during WWI years. Between 1921-1930 the centre was activated once again for the last time through the cooporation with Church of Scotland. 
Yet another missionary society under the influence of Evangelicalism movement, Religious Society of Friends, alias Quakers commenced initially a medical mission in 1880's among the Armenians in the Eastern Anatolia Region as part of Friends' Armenian Mission. Later focusing on the Armenians of Istanbul they established a mission house in Gedikpaşa district in 1881. The mission house, which was opened in a rental bulding served also as a school, meeting house and dispensary. In 1884 Constantinople Mission moved to another building in Kumkapı, which was reconstructed and enlarged in 1905. In the same year a Friends school was opened in the same district in an existing building which was reconstructed and enlarged in 1910. Friends' Constantinople Armenian Mission had close relations with other three British missionary centres in Istanbul. Divergently, Friends' mission acted as a charity organization, which produced industrial goods by employing widow and orphan Armenians besides converting their target groups into Protestant faith through Quakerism. 
The prominent part of the British mission centres in Istanbul were the missionary school buildings. This was due to the fact that education had been much efficient and easy on reaching the target groups compare to medical and religious services. Although only one of these complexes survived today, related documents and architectural drawings found in the Prime Minister's Ottoman Archives belonging to repair and reconstruction periods, provided detailed informations about these missionary buildings and their designs. Moreover, the data found in the British archives of the missionary societies and churches within the research scope, altogether with the Ottoman Archives point at a Scottish architect/builder named Nicholson Burness as a key figure with regard to architecture, who lived most of his life in Istanbul and worked in all British missionary centre and school projects in the city either just as a builder or both as a builder and designer. 
Nicholson Burness was born in Banchory, Scotland in 1833. The oldest information about his works in Istanbul is a valuation report on real estate prepared by him in 1865 upon Free Church of Scotland's request for their rental buildings in Galata. As far as is known his first construction project was the Hasköy Masonic Temple belonging to the Caledonian Lodge, which was realized in 1872 with his partner Duff. After breaking up his partnership same year, Burness designed and constructed all British missionary stations in Istanbul in the period of late 19th and early 20th century. Burness, who also took charge in the project of the British Summer Embassy at Tarabya in 1880, died in 1910 at the British Seamen's Hospital in Galata and was buried in Haydarpaşa British Cemetery. 
As a person having a solid Evangelical and Presbyterian character, Burness designed all of his missionary station and school projects in a plain classicism. In Britain, particularly in Scotland the influence of religion on the general architectural manner of the period indicates that it was not a singular case. Presbyterianism, a form of Protestant Christianity based on Calvinisim, created its own artistic and architectural language by being fed by Protestant aesthetics flourished after the Reformation. Protestan aesthetics and architecture, which were essentially based on simplicity, developed an attitude called "the plain style" or "puritan minimalist classicism" against the ornamented language of the Catholic Church. Burness's design principles and accordingly the designs of the British missionary stations in Istanbul as a representative of 19th century Protestant missionary architecture should be evaluated in this respect.