Aya Tekla Church
Encyclopedia
Aya Tekla Church, also known as Aya Thecla or Aya Thekla, is a ruins site of an ancient church in Mersin Province
, Turkey
.
(Seleikos of the Antiquity) in Mersin Province. Distance to Silifke is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and to Mersin
is 85 kilometres (52.8 mi). Travellers to the church follow the Datça-Mersin highway running parallel to Mediterranean
coast. The church is 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) north of the highway.
about 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) east of the church. Thecla who was originally from Konya
(Iconum of the Antiquity) lived around Silifke, in a location , now called Meryemlik (meaning of Virgin Mary). There is a cave on a small hill next to Silifke which is believed to be her home in her later years. The grave in the cave probably belongs to her.
and the church was devoted to her. The church and the other related buildings such as bath are now in ruins the only standing element being, a part of the abscissage.
Mersin Province
The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the other major town is Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Geography
Ata Tekla Church at 36°20′N 33°56′E is just south of SilifkeSilifke
-Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them...
(Seleikos of the Antiquity) in Mersin Province. Distance to Silifke is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and to Mersin
Mersin
-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...
is 85 kilometres (52.8 mi). Travellers to the church follow the Datça-Mersin highway running parallel to Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coast. The church is 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) north of the highway.
Thecla
Thecla (Apostle and protomartyr among women) was one of the followers of Saint Paul whose origin was TarsusTarsus, Mersin
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
about 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) east of the church. Thecla who was originally from Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
(Iconum of the Antiquity) lived around Silifke, in a location , now called Meryemlik (meaning of Virgin Mary). There is a cave on a small hill next to Silifke which is believed to be her home in her later years. The grave in the cave probably belongs to her.
The church
Up to 312, Thecla's cave was a secret pilgrimage center. The church was built in 460-470 AD by the Byzantine emperor ZenoZeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
and the church was devoted to her. The church and the other related buildings such as bath are now in ruins the only standing element being, a part of the abscissage.