Turkey is not only a favorite place for beach holidays of millions of tourists from all over the world. A lot of interesting sights are concentrated here. Many of them are of historical and archaeological type, because it is known that the history of the country is centuries-old and rich. And this, of course, could not but reflect on what Turkey is today. And, by the way, the Church of St. Nicholas in Turkey is one of the most famous and revered historical monuments on the territory of the country.
History of St. Nicholas Church in Turkey
There is an ancient temple in the province of the resort of Antalya near the modern small Turkish town of Demre. Once on the site of this settlement was located the capital of ancient Lycia - the World or the Worlds, from which there were only the ruins of an amphitheater and unusual tombs, carved right in the rock. The inhabitants of the city adopted Christianity: it is known that in 300 AD Nikolai from Patara (better known as Nikolai Chudotvorets, one of the most revered saints), preached here, was appointed local bishop. After his death in 343 in memory of the bishop the church of St. Nicholas was immediately erected in the World in place of the ancient temple of the pagan goddess Artemis. True, because of a strong earthquake, the building was destroyed, in its place a basilica was built. But she suffered an unenviable fate - in the VII century. it was defeated by the Arabs. That temple, which still rises in Demre, was built in the VIII century.
The church had to go through flooding as a result of the flood of the Miros River. The building was forgotten due to the fact that mud and mud almost completely covered it. So it was until the Russian traveler AN. Ants in 1850 did not visit the temple and did not contribute to the collection of donations for its restoration. In 1863, Alexander II bought the church and the surrounding land, restoration work began, but they were not completed because of the war that had begun. In 1956, the ancient temple was recalled again, it was slightly restored in 1989.
Architectural features of St. Nicholas Church in Turkey
The Church of St. Nicholas in Turkey is a cross-shaped basilica in the traditions of early Byzantine architecture. In the center is a large room, topped with a dome in the middle. On the sides to the room adjoin two small halls. The northern part of the church consists of a room of rectangular shape and two small rounded rooms. Before entering the church of Nicholas in Turkey, a cozy courtyard and a double porch were cozy. In the courtyard there are several ancient elements of decor - pedestal columns, idle fountain.
Tourists are impressed by the wall murals and murals that survived to us, created in the XI and XII centuries. Particularly well preserved painting of the dome in the central hall, in some arches. Very beautiful looks floor mosaic at the altar part, near the columns. It is noteworthy that on the walls of the building you can see symbols resembling suits in playing cards. A mosaic of different stones is found on the floor of the church. Local residents say that the mosaic floor in the church remained from the temple of the goddess Artemis.
In one of the niches of the temple there is a sarcophagus where St. Nicholas's body was buried. However, in 1087 the relics of the saint were stolen by Italian merchants in the city of Bari, where they are still stored. By the way, Turkey repeatedly made claims to the Vatican about the return of the relics of the Holy One. On the carved sarcophagus made of white marble, an inscription was made for the order of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I in the Old Russian language.
In general, as tourists say, visited the church of St. Nicholas, in this holy place there is a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.
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