Pelekete monastery
The Monastery of St. John the Theologian ( Greek Μονή Αγίου Ιωάννου του Θεολόγου ), known as the Pelekete monastery ( Turkish Manastırı Pelekete , Greek Mονή Πελεκητής ) is a former Byzantine monastery near the present city Tirilye in Turkey (in the Middle Ages Trigleia in Bithynia ).
The monastery dates back to the 8th century, but the date of its foundation is unknown. The name Pelekete means “hewn with an ax” in Greek and refers to the location above a steep rock. The monastery was a center of image worship as opposed to Byzantine iconoclasm . In 763 and 764, the monastery was attacked and burned down by the iconoclastic governor Michael Lachanodrakon . Lachanodrakon tortured the hegoumenos of the monastery, Theosteriktos, as well as other monks, 38 were buried alive at Ephesus . The monastery was restored towards the end of the century, and Makarios became his hegoumenos . As the iconoclasm continued after 813, he was imprisoned, but the Pelekete monks continued their opposition to iconoclasm.
The monastery disappears from the chronicles, scientists identify it with the ruins of a monastery 5 km west of the city of Tirilye , which is dedicated to Saint John the Theologian. Local residents today call it Aya Yani or Ayani, a corruption of the Greek name "Sankt Johann".
literature
- Alice-Mary Talbot: Pelekete monastery. In: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6 , Volume 3, p. 1620.
Web links
Coordinates: 40 ° 23 ′ 22 ″ N , 28 ° 45 ′ 12 ″ E