In the middle of a modern residential complex in Çiftlikköy, just east of Yalova, lie the remains of a sixth-century Byzantine site. The ruins include evidence of an ancient water system, a church, and several tombs. Today, the surrounding buildings make the site easy to overlook, yet these scattered remains offer a glimpse into the Christian presence that once shaped this area.
About three kilometers east of Yalova, this quiet archaeological site invites a different kind of exploration. Rather than standing prominently above the modern city, the Byzantine remains sit almost unnoticed among contemporary homes. To find them requires looking beyond the modern landscape and searching below the surface for the history that remains.
St. Bassa Church in Kadıköy: What Do We Know?
The Chalcedon excavations in Kadıköy, Istanbul, have revealed the sacred site of St. Bassa Church, one of the excavation’s most significant discoveries. Although recent reports have released photographs and information about the church, its historical significance remains largely unknown. Who was St. Bassa? Why was a church dedicated to her established here? And what can the archaeological discoveries tell us about this important Christian site in ancient Chalcedon?
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The Many Mysteries of Karaalioğlu Park in Antalya
The Karaalioğlu Park is supposedly named after a local family, but bears the name of one of the Sultan’s most notorious and feared executioners. The elevated park, which is evident near the government building, buries a Greek graveyard and the sacred area of the Greek metropolitan church and monastery. The city museum, which sits on the road called “Church Street,” accords no credence to the former church that stood on the grounds for a few hundred years.
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New Evidence for St. John’s Church at Antalya’s Yivli Minare?
For centuries, the remains of a former Byzantine church have remained hidden beneath the medieval layers of the Yivli Minare Mosque in Antalya. Yet evidence of this Christian past has not disappeared. It lies scattered in the open. The Yivli Minare Mosque and the Seljuk walls of Kaleiçi preserve clues to an earlier structure on this hilltop. Now, newly exposed areas from excavations around Yivli Minare invite us to look again at what once stood here.
The excavations reveal more of a medieval complex constructed over an earlier Byzantine Christian structure. As archaeologists uncover new areas and identify objects associated with the site, they provide an opportunity to ask an important question: What can these discoveries tell us about the Byzantine church known as St. John’s Church and the Christian community that once occupied this prominent place in Antalya?
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Understanding Chalcedon before the Council of 451 AD
The gospel reached Chalcedon long before the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451). Ancient Bithynia, mentioned in the Bible (Acts 16:7 and 1 Peter 1:1), became a key region for the spread of Christianity. By the time the council met, Christians had flourished there for centuries.
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Two Forgotten Monuments of Ephesus
In the Ephesus Museum in Vienna, a few items dominate that no longer exist at the ancient site. The Harbor Gymnasium and the Parthian Battle Wall are forgotten monuments that do not appear at the ancient site. Yet, in Vienna, these items dominate the rooms.
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