The Seventh Hill - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 338

Kevork (St. George), called in Turkish Sulu Manastir, built in the
precincts of the ancient Byzantine monastery of St. Mary Peribleptos.
Of the latter nothing but substructures remain. It was founded in
the eleventh century by Romanus III Argyros and has remained a
Christian church ever since. The tradition heretofore generally
accepted is that the church remained in the hands of the Greeks until
1643, when it was given to the Armenians by Sultan Ibrahim under
the influence of a favourite Armenian concubine. (This lady's name
was Şeker Parça, or Piece of Sugar; she is said to have weighed more
than 300 pounds.) This story, however, appears to be fictitious, for we
read in the recently published work of the Armenian traveller Simeon
of Zamosc in Poland, who visited the city in 1608, that it was already
at that date in the hands of the Armenians and was the cathedral
church of the Armenian Patriarch.
Apparently Surp Kevork had been the Armenian cathedral church
since 1461, when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror recognized the
Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. The first Armenian Patriarch was
Bishop Hovakim of Bursa. The Patriarchate remained in Samatya
until 1641, when it was moved to its present location in Kumkapı.
The Patriarchal church in Kumkapı, Surp Astvadzadzin, was originally
built in 1645, but the building which we see there today dates only
from 1913.
AĞA HAMAMI
Once past the church we turn right and take the road which leads
down towards the sea. As we do so we are confronted almost
immediately with an interesting view of a vast double hamam. It is
astonishing how many domes of all sizes and arranged apparently at
random these hamams have, and it is not often that one can get a
good view of them from above. This one is called Ağa Hamamı and
is a work of Sinan. It is unfortunately disafected and ruinous, used
for commercial purposes. The workshop is installed in what was once
the hararet of the bath, a typical cruciform room with cubicles in the
corners.
After passing the hamam we turn right on Samatya Caddesi,
which skirts the foot of the Seventh Hill not far from the sea. As