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 *

Landform (Google Earth) N↑ *

Site plan (1907) (Hill 1996) N↑ *

Site entrance from west (1) *

    The Cave Church (2) was built on a basilica plan measuring approx.18 by 12 m. The cave itself was formed naturally by erosion caused by water, and the process still goes on. The aisles of the church were separated from the nave with two rows of three Doric columns which must have been sourced from a previous Roman building. It is speculated by Hill (1996) that the Roman bulding could be a pagan shrine located above the cave or nearby. The Cave Church underwent major alterations in the 5th century at the hands of the builders of the great Basilica. In order to provide a solid base for the above-ground construction a wall was built alongside the columns of the north aisle as marked on the plan below.

Cave Church (2) plan (Hill 1996) *

Cave Church (2) entrance from south *

Equivalent of narthex (A) *

Room B from southwest *

Room B from northeast *

Artefacts (B) *

Room C *

Two windows at east end of C *

Cave D behind Room C may be
actual Saint Thecla's living place *

Nave seen from A *

Apse with modern depiction
of Saint Thecla (E) *

    The Basilica of Saint Thecla (3) is the largest of Cilician basilicas, 81 m long and 43 m wide. It was erected over the Cave Church (2) which in effect became its crypt. There were light-wells in the floor of the Basilica to disperse the underground darkness. Unfortunately, almost nothing is left of the former splendour of the building. Only a fragment of the south side of the apse still stands today. The northern part of the structure collapsed on 15 May 1942. The apse was 13,6 m in width and 8,2 m in depth. Its height is estimated at about 20 m (Hill 1996). 

    The plan below shows the layout of two above-ground churches: the 4th century small basilica (black) and the 5th century Basilica of Saint Thecla (grey). The latter replaced the former.

Basilica (3) plan *

Remaining quarter of apse from
southwest (3) *

Close-up (3) *

Two of five buttresses supporting
apse from outside (3) *

Inside of apse; it was cladded with
marble in its heyday (3) *

    The Cistern (4) is a well-preserved object related to the Basilica of Saint Thecla and situated immediately north of it. The reservoir, approx. 14 x 12,5 m, was supplied with water by an aqueduct. The walls of the cistern were 1,7 m thick, built with ashlars on the outside and plastered bricks on the inside. The three barrel vaults of the structure are carried by the walls and two rows of arches on columns.

Cistern (4) from south *

Southwestern view (4) *

Southeastern view (4) *

Southeastern view of inside (4) *

Southwestern view of inside (4) *

Western barrel vault (4) *

    Meryemlık ('Virgin Mary') is the name of the hill on the outskirts of Silifke where the sanctuary lies. It is a slightly outdated toponym, and today the term 'Aya Tekla' is most often used to refer to this place. I visited Meryemlık on my way back from Alahan. This fact had some consequences as I was so impressed by the monastery that I gave Saint Thecla limited consideration. My mind has changed after I got into the details of the story behind the sanctuary. It is very interesting, and I appreciate the visit much more now.