Kanytelis / Kanlıdivane - 3 August 2021

    Kanytelis is an ancient settlement that came to life in the 3rd century BC, during the Hellenistic period. Interestingly, it never turned into a city and kept its rural character for centuries. Kanytelis was controlled by the Kingdom of Olba, and later, in the Roman period, by the city of Elaiussa-Sebaste. The village grew around a limestone sinkhole measuring 142 x 95 m and 50 m deep. The cavern, accessible in antiquity, had a sacred precinct at its bottom (Hill 1996).  Religious activities continued into the Christian period. In the 5th century at least five churches were built in Kanytelis, four of which can still be traced today. The settlement was abandoned in the 7th century and re-occupied by the Ottomans in the 16th century.

Kanytelis (Kanlıdivane) *

Cennet-Cehennem (Heaven and Hell) - 29 July 2021

    Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell) are two limestone sinkholes located 1 km south of Narlıkuyu in Mersin Province. Hell is the smaller of the caverns with walls steep enough to prevent any access. Heaven, measuring 110 x 250 m and 70 m deep, offers a convenient descent that have been used by men since antiquity. At the southern end of Cennet there is an extensive cave at the mouth of which a church dedicated to Virgin Mary was built in the 5th century. This geological feature inspired the first known name for the whole cavern - Corycian Cave. It was an ideal habitat for crocuses, and the obtained saffron was exported from nearby Korykos (Corycus) (Hill 1996). The site is mentioned in the Greek myths as the place where the monstrous serpent Typhon was nurtured. On the edge of Heaven sits an over-ground Roman temple converted to a church.

Church of Virgin Mary at Cennet-Cehennem*

Meryemlık (Sanctuary of Saint Thecla) - 22 July 2021

    Thecla was born in Ikonion (Konya) in the 1st century AD. She was a follower of Paul the Apostle, known as Saint Paul, and became a saint herself. She lived in the times difficult for Christians as the Roman Empire did not want the religion to spread. It forced Thecla to spend the last years of her life hiding in a cave near Seleukia (Silifke). Years after her death, in AD 313, the Edict of Milano imposed tolerance for Christianity within the empire. The new circumstances favoured the idea of turning the cave into a subterranean church what happened in the 4th century. Around the same time another church was built above the cave and the sanctuary became a popular pilgrimage destination (Hill 1996). This over-ground church was replaced by an impressive basilica erected in the second half of the 5th century.

Saint Thecla Cave Church *

Alahan Monastery - 22 July 2021

    Alahan is a complex of sacral buildings erected in the 5th century AD. The ancient name of the site could be Apadnas. It is located in the Göksu (ancient Kalykadnos) Valley in Mersin Province (then Isauria). The complex is believed to be planned as a pilgrimage centre and only later became a monastery (Hill 1996). It was built during the reign of Emperor Leo I, and later Emperor Zeno, in the time when the Isaurians rose to prominence in the court of Constantinople. A closer archeological survey by Gough in 1950s led to a conclusion the site was never finished.

Alahan - West Church *