Cappadocia – Early Christian Heritage Sites of Türkiye
- mmihpedit
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Jun-woo Son, Jae-hyun Park, Sang-o Geum, and Ji-eun Lee Members of the Asia Minor Studies Association
Cappadocia is mentioned twice in the Bible: Acts 2:9 and 1 Peter 1:1. From these passages we learn that an early Christian church existed in Cappadocia, and even today numerous church ruins remain as evidence of its presence. The relics of Cappadocia reveal what the lives and faith of early Christians and their successors were like and continue to offer deep insight for believers today.
Located in the interior of Türkiye, this region is rendered “Cappadocia” in the Korean Bible, while locally it is called Kapadokya. Local tour guides often explain that the name derives from the Old Persian katpatuka, meaning “the land of beautiful horses,” but according to Sağdıç (2015) this explanation lacks evidence; several etymological theories exist, yet none has been proven. Cappadocia refers to the vast plateau around Nevşehir, about 280 km southeast of Ankara. It became a Roman province in A.D. 17, came under Seljuk Turkish rule in 1174, and later under Ottoman rule in 1515.
Originally this area was a friable sandstone region. Long ago, eruptions from Mount Erciyes covered it with lava, forming today’s topography. Over time, weathering created its unique landscape, and because of the soft rock, people could easily carve caves and underground spaces. A representative relic formed by these geological characteristics is the underground city of Derinkuyu. It was discovered by chance in 1963: a farmer, puzzled by the repeated disappearance of his chickens, tied a string to one and found a passage leading underground; at its end he discovered Derinkuyu, meaning “deep well.”
The Underground City of Derinkuyu
This immense subterranean city, reaching a depth of 120 meters, is now open to the public down to eight levels. A cross-section reveals an intricate structure resembling an anthill. Equipped with churches, seminaries, wine cellars, animal stalls, and ventilation systems, it could accommodate about five to ten thousand people for over a month.
Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the purpose and origin of this unique underground city have been explained by three major theories:
It may have been constructed by the ancient Hittites (circa 2000 B.C.) or the Phrygians (8th–7th centuries B.C.);
It may have been established by early Christians who, before the legalization of Christianity, sought refuge from persecution;
It may later have served as a shelter against Muslim invasions.
The second theory is most widely accepted. During the intense persecutions of the 1st–4th centuries, Cappadocia was a Roman province, and 1 Peter shows that a church existed there despite oppression. Just as Christians in Rome hid in the catacombs, believers in Cappadocia made use of the region’s easily excavated rock to hide underground and preserve their faith. In Byzantine times the site served as a refuge from foreign invasions, and after the 8th century it continued to expand amid Arab Muslim, Seljuk, Mongol, and Ottoman incursions. Even in the early 20th century Christians fled there to escape Ottoman persecution. After the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, a population exchange forced the Greek residents to migrate to Greece, and the settlements were finally abandoned.
The churches of this underground city—used as sanctuaries from the early church through the 20th century—remain a vivid site where today’s visitors can tangibly sense the historical context of 1 Peter.
Center of the Monastic Movement: Göreme
If the underground city of Derinkuyu symbolizes persecution, the above-ground town of Göreme represents revival of faith. The Göreme monastic region, formed in the 4th–5th centuries after Christianity became a legalized religion, was a place where many monks gathered to cultivate theology and spiritual discipline.
Early Christians, having overcome persecution and finally gained recognition from the Empire, began to meditate deeply on Scripture and to practice it, giving rise to the monastic movement.The three Cappadocian Fathers—Basil the Great (330–379), Gregory of Nazianzus (329–390), and Gregory of Nyssa (335–395)—were key figures in this movement. Basil systematized the doctrine of the Trinity and wrote the first treatise on the Holy Spirit. Gregory of Nazianzus presided over the Council of Constantinople, and Gregory of Nyssa attended that council to defend Trinitarian faith. The monasteries of Cappadocia were thus the very places where these figures, central to the intense theological debates of their day, lived in contemplation and prayer.
Notably, all four ecumenical councils recognized by Protestantism—325 (Nicaea = İznik), 381 (Constantinople = İstanbul), 431 (Ephesus = Selçuk, İzmir), 451 (Chalcedon = Kadıköy, İstanbul)—were held within present-day Türkiye. Through these councils the doctrines of the Trinity and the divine and human natures of Christ were theologically defined; in other words, the core of today’s orthodox theology was established on this very land.
Icons and Traditions of the Tokalı Church Also noteworthy in Göreme is the Byzantine cave church Tokalı Kilise, built around the 10th century. On its arched ceiling about thirty frescoes are remarkably well preserved, some depicting scenes not found directly in Scripture. Particularly striking is the martyrdom of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. According to tradition, when Herod ordered the massacre of all the male infants in Bethlehem, Zechariah hid his son John in the temple and was killed for refusing to reveal his whereabouts. Byzantine interpretive tradition supports this, identifying the “Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35) as Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.
Traces of the Iconoclastic Controversy
The frescoes of many cave churches bear traces of the iconoclastic movement. In the 8th–9th centuries the Byzantine Empire experienced fierce conflict between iconoclasts and iconodules, which later contributed to the Great Schism of 1054. During periods dominated by iconoclasm, sacred images conveyed their message through simple color and composition. After the Second Council of Nicaea (787) reinstated the veneration of icons, the art developed into more elaborate and richly colored styles. Thus these murals testify not only to artistic changes but also to the theological debates and persecutions that underlay them.
The Landscape and Heritage of Cappadocia
Cappadocia’s geological features have produced distinctive scenery above ground as well as below. The “fairy chimneys” (Peri Bacaları) of Paşabağ and the mushroom-shaped rocks of the Zelve Valley form spectacular landscapes, while cave churches and monasteries remain throughout Göreme and the Ihlara Valley. Because of its unusual topography the region was once considered as a filming location for Star Wars, but filming did not occur because the Turkish government withheld permission.
Today Cappadocia is a land of faith where the traces of Christians who preserved their belief amid persecution remain alongside its strange yet beautiful natural scenery. The ascetic monastic life and passion for truth that once filled this place still speak profoundly to those of us living in the modern world.
References
Sağdıç (2015). Kapadokya ve tarihi bir palavra [“Cappadocia and a Historical Myth”].Available at: https://tarihdergi.com/kapadokya-ve-tarihi-bir-palavra/
