Euchaita
Encyclopedia
Euchaita was a town (polisma) in Pontus
, in northern Asia Minor
(mod. Turkey
). Today the Turkish village Beyözü, which partly lies on the ruins, in the province of Çorum
(in the subprovince of Mecitözü
).
Euchaita was the location of Saint Theodore of Amasea
's slaying of the dragon, and his remains were taken here after his martyrdom. The town became a center of his cult. The original church was destroyed during the Sassanid Persian occupation, and rebuilt after the Byzantines retook the city in 622. In the 970s, Emperor John I Tzimiskes
built a new church dedicated to the saint there and renamed the town Theodoropolis.
It was a favorite place to banish political and religious opponents during the Byzantine Empire. The capital of the Armeniac Theme
until the late 8th century, the town suffered from Arab attacks and earthquakes.
In the late 11th century Euchaita fell to the Seljuk Turks.
In the early 21st Century, the town became the focus of an interdisciplinary archaeological project (the Avkat Archaeological Project), under the direction of John Haldon of Princeton University
. Additional institutions contributing resources and personnel include Trent University
, the College of Charleston
, the University of Birmingham
, Ankara University
, and the Middle East Technical University
(Ankara).
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
, in northern Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
(mod. 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...
). Today the Turkish village Beyözü, which partly lies on the ruins, in the province of Çorum
Çorum Province
Çorum Province is a province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey, but lying inland and having more characteristics of Central Anatolia than the Black Sea coast....
(in the subprovince of Mecitözü
Mecitözü
Mecitözü is a district of Çorum Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 37 km from the city of Çorum. It covers an area of 942 km², and the elevation is 750 m. According to 2000 census the population is 26,064 of which 5,787 live in the town of Mecitözü, with the majority living in...
).
Euchaita was the location of Saint Theodore of Amasea
Theodore of Amasea
See also Theodore StratelatesSaint Theodore of Amasea is one of the two saints called Theodore who are venerated as Warrior Saints and Great Martyrs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is also known as Theodore Tiro...
's slaying of the dragon, and his remains were taken here after his martyrdom. The town became a center of his cult. The original church was destroyed during the Sassanid Persian occupation, and rebuilt after the Byzantines retook the city in 622. In the 970s, Emperor John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
built a new church dedicated to the saint there and renamed the town Theodoropolis.
It was a favorite place to banish political and religious opponents during the Byzantine Empire. The capital of the Armeniac Theme
Armeniac Theme
The Armeniac Theme , more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs was a Byzantine theme located in northeastern Asia Minor .-History:...
until the late 8th century, the town suffered from Arab attacks and earthquakes.
In the late 11th century Euchaita fell to the Seljuk Turks.
In the early 21st Century, the town became the focus of an interdisciplinary archaeological project (the Avkat Archaeological Project), under the direction of John Haldon of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Additional institutions contributing resources and personnel include Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
, the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
, the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
, and the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
(Ankara).
Sources
- Raymond Janin: La géographie ecclésiastique de l'Empire Byzantin 1.3: Le siège de Constantinople et le patriarcat oecuménique: les églises et les monastères , Paris 1969 ², P. 148-155. * Franc Trombley: The Decline OF the 7th century town: the exception OF Euchaita , in: Byzantine Studies in Honor of Milton Vth Anastos, OD. Spyros Vryonis, Jr., Malibu 1985, P. 65-90.