Kalfayan Orphanage was founded by Srpuhi Kalfayan (1822-1889), an Armenian nun, as an orphanage for girls in Istanbul, Hasköy. In 1865, she mobilized financial support for the victims of epidemic cholera and, in 1866, opened an orphanage for 17 girls who lost their families in this epidemic disaster. Both “The Order of Kalfayan” and the orphanage exist today due to support of the Patriarchate and charitable Armenians. In recent years, Sister Gayane was ordained as the “Kalfayan nun” by the Patriarchate, and she is the last and living nun who gives spiritual support to the girls at Kalfayan Orphanage.