GALATA. – European suburb east of Istanbul.
The term had designated, from the 8th century, one of the districts of Constantinople, so called also by the Turks, whom the Latins preferred to call “Pera.” The European Latins, instead, from the 18th century gave the name G. to the ancient Genoese city intra muros of the city.
Around 200, the first Christian community in G. is recorded; by about 431 it had become a small city. Its history, however, begins with the Genoese colonization, sporadic under the Comneni and then stable under the Palaeologi. Michael VIII settled the Genoese there in 1267, and they made G. one of the principal emporia of the East. G. enjoyed many privileges within the Empire. It had its own administration under a podestà appointed directly by Genoa. The colonists erected numerous public buildings, convents (first those of the Benedictines, Dominicans, and Franciscans, and later those of the Jesuits, Conventuals, Capuchins, Salesians, and Lazarists), churches (21 have been counted), and hospitals. When they conquered it (1455), the Turks confirmed G.’s privileges, which they later suppressed, leaving the new institution called the Magnificent Community only the administration of religious property. Despite Oriental infiltrations, G. still retained, late in the 18th century, a distinctly Italian appearance.
From the 19th century onward, G. assumed the character it has today, that of a cosmopolitan city with a clear predominance of the European element. The abolition of the “capitulations” (1914) eliminated every trace of the ancient privileges and subjected the population to Turkish legislation. Religious institutions and parishes for Italians are still active.
BIBLI.: M. A. Belin, Histoire de la laïcité de Constantinople, Paris 1894, throughout: R. Leucette, La Société des Frères Périgériennes, Rome 1937, pp. 38-47; E. Dalicchio, Le pietre sepolcrali di Arub Giomi (antica chiesa di S. Paolo a G.), Genoa 1922; A. M. Schneider, I. Nomida, G. Topographisch-archäologischer Plan, Istanbul 1941; R. Palazzo, L'Arup Diomi on égire St-Paul de G., ibid. 1946. Vitaliano Laurent