combines Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Baroque influences. St. Stephen was the product of 19th-century experimentation with prefabricated iron churches. The British, who invented the corrugated iron in 1829, manufactured portable iron churches to send to far-flung colonies like Australia. The Eiffel Tower's creator, French engineer Gustave Eiffel, designed iron churches that were sent as far as the Philippines and Peru. Now, St. Stephen is one of the world's few surviving prefabricated cast iron churches. On December 27, 2010, St. Stephen's feast day, a celebratory Mass was held at the church in honor of its patron saint. Attending were the Vratsa Metropolitan Kalinik, bishop Naum, Chief Secretary of the Bulgarian Holy Synod, and representatives of the "St. Stephen Church" Foundation. Honoring the celebration the dome of the church was gold-plated using funds donated by the Bulgarians of Plovdiv. The church building underwent a renovation, which started under the Bulgarian-Turkish cooperation in 2011 and cost more than 15 million. On January 8, 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov were present at the inauguration of the renovated St. Stephen's Orthodox Church in Istanbul, on the occasion of its 120th anniversary. In addition to the St. Stephen Church, there is another Bulgarian Orthodox church in Istanbul, St. Demetrius Church, in Feriköy. Burials Ilarion Makariopolski Gallery References External links Information about the church on a site about the Bulgarians in Istanbul The St Stephen Foundation A Bulgarian National Radio report also telling the history of the church Monkeytravel info and photos (incl. detail photo) Over 100 pictures inside and outside in detail Благовеста Иванова. Църквата "Св. Стефан" край Златния рог и нейните събратя Благовеста Иванова, Ради Ганев. "Желязото" и стоманата в храма "Св. Стефан" в Истанбул Благовеста Иванова. Неосъщественият каменен храм "Св. Троица" на брега на Златния рог и архитектите Фосати Благовеста Иванова. Българските старини в Цариград Blagovesta Ivanova, Radi Ganev, Milosh Drdacky. Architectural, Material and Damage Survey of the Bulgarian Metal Church of St. Stefan in Istanbul Blagovesta Ivanova, Radi Ganev & Miloš Drdácký. Historical and Condition Survey of the St. Stefan Bulgarian Metal Church in Istanbul Tigran Khzmalyan. Armenian Architects of Istanbul: Online Exhibition, March 27, 2015 Stefan Bulgar Kilisesi Иванова, Бл. Невидимата страна на «желязната» църква в Истанбул. Инженерни науки, 1/2018, с. 45-60./Ivanova, Bl. NONSEEN SIDE OF THE "IRON" CHURCH IN ISTANBUL. - Engineering Sciences, LV, 2018, No. 1,p. 45-60 DOI:10.7546/EngSci.LV.18.01.04 Ivanova-Tsotsova, Bl. The Architectural Complex at the