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Metropolitan see Izmir, Türkiye

Archdiocese of Izmir

Smyrnen(sis)

Latin Church

The Archdiocese of Izmir is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in western Turkey, tracing to the Latin Archdiocese of Smyrna of 1346 and elevated to a metropolitan see in 1818. Its current archbishop is Martin Kmetec, appointed in 2020.

On the map

Esri
The address the register holds for St. John's Cathedral, Izmir, in Izmir, Türkiye.

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Established
1346
Catholics
5,000
Priests
17

Parishes and churches

12 listed churches in our records. Open a parish for Mass times, confession, directions and sources where recorded.

This is our recorded coverage, not an official diocesan parish count. Confirm service times with the parish before travelling.

The bishop

Archbishop
Martin Kmetec
Born
10 November 1956
Birthplace
Ptuj
Institute
ORDINE FRANCESCANO FRATI MINORI CONVENTUALI

Explore the ministry of the bishop.

The cathedral

St. John's Cathedral, Izmir stands in Izmir, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

History

In Anatolia, the Asian portion of Turkey, the Roman Catholic Church maintains the Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of İzmir (Latin: Archidioecesis Smyrnensis). Its archbishop's seat, the cathedral motherchurch, is St. John's Cathedral, and within its bounds lies a World Heritage Site, the Meryem Ana Evi on Bülbüldağı. On 8 December 2020 Pope Francis named Martin Kmetec OFMConv as Archbishop of İzmir.

This see in the wire

Filed by the see itself

Published on the see's own news feed. A diocese reports on the whole Church, so these are often about somewhere else.

  • Peder Adrian Baciu leads pilgrimage to Medjugorje

    Father Adrian Baciu (OFM Conv), who serves at St. Helen Church in Karşıyaka, led a group of parishioners on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. The trip was planned to include a novena and various celebrations.

    Sep 27, 2026 · Catholic Life

  • Archbishop Martin Kmetec attends 20th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Ephesus Church in Vermont

    Archbishop Martin Kmetec attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the Our Lady of Ephesus Church in Jamaica, Vermont, on June 8, 2026. The Archbishop of Izmir and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Turkey joined local faithful to mark the anniversary of the church's dedication. The celebration included local Archbishop John McDermott, Father Lucian Abalintoaiei, the general secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Turkey, and several local priests. The event highlighted the connection between the Vermont community and the Church in Izmir through their shared devotion to the site where the Virgin Mary spent her final years. The prayer center in Vermont was established in 1994 by Mary Fraser Tarinelli. The site was inspired by the 1959 pilgrimage of Tarinelli's mother, Elizabeth Fraser, who reported a vision of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey. Tarinelli later led the first official pilgrimage to the holy site in Ephesus in 1991.

    Sep 27, 2026 · Dioceses

  • Diocese of Izmir announces symposium on Mary in Armenian tradition

    Sep 9, 2026 · Education

5 stories in the wire either name this see or come from its own feed. Read the wire.