religious sites
few people realise that Santa Claus was born in Patara in
modern-day Turkey
Turkey has a rich cultural heritage, and Asia Minor, as the
land which is now Turkey was known, was of great signifi-
cance to the early Christians. Many of Turkey’s great
ancient cities are mentioned in the Bible. The constitution
of the Republic of Turkey guarantees freedom of worship and
those of all faiths are welcomed to Turkey. Its Christian
sites have become places of pilgrimage visited by many travellers,
either independently or on organised tours.
Mereyam Ana Evi, the House of Mother Mary
It is know from the Bible that Jesus entrusted his mother
to the safekeeping of his friend and disciple, John. It is
believed that during the persecution of the Christians in
Jerusalem around 49 AD, John took Mary to Ephesus where it
is thought that she spent the last years of her life. The
House of Mother Mary or Meryem Ana Evi as it is known in Turkish
has been partly reconstructed, and is open to the public for
pilgrimage and prayer.
Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus)
St Nicholas or Father Christmas, is one of the most popular
Saints in the Christian world. Perhaps best known as the patron
saint of children, he is patron of a whole range of diverse
groups including barrel-makers, sailors & fishermen, thieves
and pawn-brokers as well as of Greece and Russia. More readily
associated with snowy climes, few people realise that he was
born in what is modern-day Turkey, in Patara, a port in the
province of Lycia, around 270 AD. His life is shrouded in
stories and legends but we do know that he was bishop of Myra
at the time of Constantine the Great and that he took part
in the first Ecumenical Council, in Nicea (IÏznik) in 325
A.D.After his death, his remains rested in the church dedicated
to God in his honour until 1087, when some Italian sailors,
devotees of this Patron Saint of seafarers, succeeded in taking
his relics to Bari, where they laid them in a Basilica built
in his honour, and where they remain until this day. His feast
day is celebrated both in the east and west on December 6,
when traditionally gifts are exchanged amongst friends and
relatives. Perhaps themost enduring legend surrounding his
life is the story that he secretly helped a poor father to
provide a decent dowry for his three daughters, throwing three
bags of gold through an open window, thus making it possible
for them to get married, rather than being sold into prostitution.
These three bags of gold are the origin of the three gold
balls denoting a pawn-broker’s shop.
The Church of St. Nicholas in Demre ancient Myra, can still
be visited today and there is a festival held there each year
in the first week of December to mark his feast day.
The Journeys of St. Paul
Ancient Anatolia, the land which is now Turkey, was one of
the first places where Christianity spread. The early Christians
were persecuted by the Jews and fled Palestine, setting up
communities in places such as Antioch, present-day Antakya.
Paul of Tarsus, to become St. Paul, was one of the first preachers
of the new religion, having himself undergone a stunning conversion
on the road to Damascus.
Paul was introduced to the church in Antioch by Barnabas,
and from here he set off on his first apostolic journey (44-49AD)
which took him to Seleucia, Cyprus and then back to Perge,
Antioch in Pisidia (Yalvaç), Iconium (Konya), Derbe,
Attaleia (Antalya) and back to Antioch. He travelled by foot
and by boat, teaching his religion as he went, and attempting
to convert his listeners.Ayear later he set off on his second
journey (50-53AD) heading for Macedonia and establishing churches
in Philippi, Thessalonika and Beroea before traveling on toAthens
and Corinth, returning to Antioch by boat via Ephesus. During
his third journey (54-58 AD) he spent three years in Ephesus
preaching and instructing those Jews and Pagans who joined
the fold in the ways and beliefs of the new religion of Christianity.
Whilst he was here he wrote some of his famous letters or
epistles to other Christian communities, including to the
Corinthians and the Romans. Having spent two years under arrest
in Jerusalem, Paul was freed and travelled back to Rome where
he was arrested, sentenced to death and beheaded in 61 AD.
The Churches of the Revelation
The seven churches which St. John mentions in the book of
Revelations are all in presentday Turkey: Ephesus, Smyrna
(IÏzmir), Pergamum, Thyatira (Akhisar) ,Sardis, Philadelphia,
and Laodicea (Denizli). There are a number of companies who
organise tours to visit these sites.
The Nicean Creed
In 324 Constantine the Great founded the city of Constantinople
(IÏstanbul), which he later made the capital of his Holy Roman
Empire, declaring Christianity to be its official religion.
After centuries of persecution, Christians could finally worship
openly. In 325 the Church celebrated the first Ecumenical
Council in the city of Nicea (IÏznik). It was felt that some
inconsistencies and errors were being propagated amongst Christians,
so this meeting provided the opportunity to confirm the basic
tenets of the faith, set out in the Nicean Creed which is
still said in churches today.
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