St. Nicholas Church (Demre)
The St. Nicholas Church is a former Byzantine church in today's Turkish town of Demre in the Antalya province , in the southwest of the country. It was used from the 5th to the 12th centuries. It is best known for the first burial place of St. Nicholas of Myra . Nicholas was an Orthodox bishop in the former Myra in the 4th century and is one of the most popular religious figures in Christianity, in both the Eastern and Western churches .
Archaeological excavations
A modern archaeological excavation began in the church in 1988 under the direction of Yıldız Ötüken from Hacettepe University in Ankara . The work included the northern areas of the monastery complex and some chapels around the main nave . One of the most important results was frescoes depicting the life and miracles of the saint. A desecrated sarcophagus was also uncovered, which in all likelihood was the original burial place of St. Nicholas before his remains were moved by looters to Bari , Italy in 1087 .
Since 2009 the excavations have been directed by Nevzat Çevik , Akdeniz Üniversitesi in Antalya .
Picture gallery
Interior view of the fresco
Sarcophagus of St. Nicholas
Exterior view
The First Council of Nicaea - Fresco in the Church
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/demre-statues/
- ↑ See Charles W. Jones, "Saint Nikolaos of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend" (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1978, ISBN 978-0-226-40700-5 , pp. 176-193.
Web links
- Turkey: Lycia - Between Fethiye and Antalya. NDR , archived from the original on March 7, 2013 ; Retrieved March 10, 2013 .
- sacred-destinations.com
Coordinates: 36 ° 14 ′ 41.4 " N , 29 ° 59 ′ 7.3" E