Aya Tekla Church
Greek: Ἁγία Θέκλα | |
![]() Cave church of Aya Tekla in Silifke, Turkey | |
Alternative name | Meryemlik |
---|---|
Location | Mersin Province, Turkey |
Coordinates | 36°21′46″N 33°55′51″E / 36.36278°N 33.93083°E |
Type | Church |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Sifikle.jpg/220px-Sifikle.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Ayathekla1.jpg/220px-Ayathekla1.jpg)
Aya Tekla Church (Greek: Ἁγία Θέκλα, Hagia Thékla; Turkish: Aya Tekla Kilisesi), also known as Aya Thecla or Aya Thekla, is a ruined historic church of the Byzantine period in Turkey. It was a popular pilgrimage site, and still attracts visitors today.
Location
Aya Tekla Church is located 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Silifke (ancient Seleucia in Isauria or Seleucia on the Calycadnus) and 85 km (53 mi) from the provincial capital, Mersin. It is situated 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the state highway D.400, which runs parallel to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.[1]
History
Thecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα, Thékla) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. She enjoyed great popularity in the Byzantine period. According to the main work about her, Acts of Paul and Thecla, she was originally from Ikonion, modern Konya, and after the episodes described in the book, she lived around Silifke and died there.[2]
The beginnings of the site are unclear. A site of Thecla's cult near Silifke was visited by Gregory of Nazianzus in 374. Egeria, a woman widely regarded to be the author of a detailed account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, visited the site in 384. She mentioned numerous monastic cells for men and women, and a central church with an enclosing wall.[3] The shrine of Thecla was relocated to a hill, now called Meryemlik, meaning "of Virgin Mary", into a cave, which was supposedly Thecla's home in her later years. The grave in the cave supposedly belongs to her.[2]
Up to 312, Thecla's cave was a secret pilgrimage site.[clarification needed] At some date, a church was built into the cave. Aya Thekla, the more prominent church, was built on the hilltop in 460–470 by the Byzantine emperor Zeno the Isaurian (reigned 474–475).[4] The church and other related buildings, such as a bath, are now in ruins, the only standing element being a part of the apse.[2] The cave and cistern to the north of the cave are also partially standing.
References
- ^ Silifke governor's page (in Turkish) Archived October 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Hagia Thekla Archived 2019-01-10 at the Wayback Machine in Monastic Matrix, Ohio State University
- ^ M. L. McClure, ed. (1919). The Pilgrimage of Egeria. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. pp. 42–43.
- ^ Edwards, Robert W., "Ayatekla" (2016). The Eerdmans Encyclopedia of Early Christian Art and Archaeology, ed., Paul Corby Finney. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-0-8028-9016-0.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Further reading
- Stephen J. Davis (2008). The Cult of Saint Thecla: A Tradition of Women's Piety in Late Antiquity (Oxford Early Christian Studies). ISBN 9780191568350
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
- Articles with Turkish-language sources (tr)
- Webarchive template wayback links
- CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
- Articles with short description
- Short description matches Wikidata
- Articles containing Greek-language text
- Coordinates on Wikidata
- Articles containing Turkish-language text
- Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text
- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2015
- Commons category link is on Wikidata
- 5th-century churches
- Ruined churches in Turkey
- Byzantine church buildings in Turkey
- Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey
- Silifke District
- Cave churches