Churches of Goreme

The Churches of Goreme

The tectonic plates that carry Turkey and the neighboring Caucasian republics, are among the world's most shaken, and have been for millions of years. Earthquakes have devastated the region on a regular basis. If that wasn't enough, around 66 million years ago, northern Africa collided with southern Eurasia, forming the Taurus Mountain ranges in Turkey.

Because of the perennial fracturing, subsurface magma was able to rise to the surface. This resulted in the formation of several active volcanoes parallel to the mountain complex. During the same time period, the same geological dynamics gave rise to the Himalayas and the Alps.

Due to the ongoing seismic activity, Mounts Erciyes, Hasan, and Melendiz Dagi subjected the area to volcanic eruptions over millions of years. Layers of sandstone, basalt, ash, clay, and other soft and hard rocks were created by successive lava flows. Over thousands of years. the ash consolidated into a plateau made of tuff rocks.

Tuff Rock

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Over time, wind erosion, rivers, snow, and rainfall created a geological wonder unparalleled in the world. Heating caused the rocks to expand, and low temperatures caused them to break up, resulting in the breathtaking landscape of Cappadocia. The mountain ridges, steep river valleys, and hills created a variety of odd-shaped rock formations, including spires and cones known as 'fairy chimneys.'

Early humans discovered that the tuff was soft and easily broken through. They hollowed out the rocks to create troglodyte villages, which are cave dwellings with multiple rooms and windows. They soon discovered that the rock was also soft, so they began digging. They went deeper and deeper, carving tunnels, storage chambers, and creating curved as they went. As a result, a subterranean network of entire cities was created. There are said to be over a hundred underground settlements in the area, but only six are open to visitors.

The subterranean cities are thought to have been settled during the Bronze Age, circa fourth millennium B.C. Caves have always provided protection to humans from wild animals and natural elements, but with their unique insulation properties, tuff caves proved to be a haven; they were comfortable both in the summer and winter. Troglodyte villages and underground settlements, on the other hand, were particularly useful for hiding from marauding armies. Ancient Anatolia and the surrounding region served as a link between Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the houses above ground were linked to the underground villages via a network of staircases and meandering labyrinths, allowing people to switch to subterranean living in times of danger.

Derinkuyu cave city in Cappadocia

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The subterranean quarters were not "cities" in the traditional sense, and the ancient Cappadocians extended urban civilization to new ‘depths’. Ventilation shafts or 'chimneys' were dug into all cities at various locations, reaching depths of up to 80 meters. The chimneys were also used to collect rainwater; people tapped into underground streams and stored the water. The tuff stone kept the settlements cool in the winter and warm in the summer.

Subterranean Cappadocia quickly developed community kitchens, wineries, communal logistics, and places for social gathering. Many of these cities' rooms and chambers had locking stones that allowed doors to be opened and closed only from the inside. A reassuring measure, especially when Croesus was enslaving the citizens of nearby Pteria in his battle against Cyrus the Great, or when Genghis Khan was mass murdering civilians in conquered territories on his way to empire.

The area is now preserved as the Goreme National Park and the Cappadocia Rock Sites. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1985 because of its natural uniqueness and outstanding examples of Byzantine art. Images of post-iconoclastic Christianity are especially valuable because elements of it are depicted artistically and ornately.

If businesses and homes can be carved out of rock, will religious institutions be far behind? Saint Basil of Caesarea, in the fourth century A.D., instructed Christian ascetics to build churches and monasteries in some of the overground caves. The anchorite community jumped right into the task. They built numerous refectory monasteries side by side, using existing caves, and carving out new ones. Each monastery has its own church, which is adorned with colorful frescoes, sculptures, and other works of art. Many of the frescoes have faded, but their aesthetic remains are still evident. The refectories and churches are now deserted, but as the Goreme Open-Air Museum, they are the focal point of the Goreme National Park and the Cappadocia Rock Sites. Goreme is located in the heart of Cappadocia.

The Goreme Open-Air Museum is a vast complex containing magnificent examples of rock-cut architecture with traditional Byzantine features. Since Asia Minor was an early center of Christianity, the churches of Goreme are among the world's oldest and most ancient, though the majority date from the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries. The Goreme Open-Air Museum houses some of the most well-known rock churches and chapels, but the shrines themselves are spread across a large area. The museum's eleven refectories and churches even have rock-carved furniture such as tables and benches. Some of the most important churches in Goreme are:

Buckle Church or Tokali Kilise

The church complex is divided into four main chambers: the Old Church, the New Church, the Paracclesion, or mortuary chapel, and the Lower Church. It is the museum's largest church. At the turn of the first millennium, the New Church was added to the Old Church. The old church had only one nave with a barrel-vaulted ceiling where people sat. The Buckle Church, so named because it once had a buckle-shaped lamp hook, houses the museum's most important frescoes depicting the life of Christ. The elaborate depiction of Jesus' lifecycle on the barreled ceiling of the old Church is a major draw. The realistic illustrations and attention to detail are what make them stand out. Various episodes from St. Basil's life are also depicted in the church. In the 1960s, the frescoes were restored.

Buckle Church

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The Nunnery or Kizlar Manastiri

The Nunnery is a 6-story rock structure, with the dining hall, kitchen, and other rooms still accessible on the first floor. On the second 'floor,' you will come across the ruins of a chapel. The church occupies the third level, which is accessible via a tunnel, a common medium for traversing all levels. It is a domed structure with four columns supporting it. It has a cruciform layout and three apses, the main apse of which has the templon, a Byzantine architectural feature that separates the congregation from the sacred altar. A typical feature of Roman, Byzantine, and Gothic church architecture is the apse, which is a semi-circular culmination of one end of the church. A fresco of Jesus Christ has been painted directly on the rock. All of the rooms have 'millstone doors', similar to those found in underground cities. Throughout its history, the structure housed 300 nuns.

Exterior View of The Nunnery

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St. Barbara’s Church or Goreme Church

This church also has a cruciform layout whose center and eastern arms and corners have a domed ceiling; the north, west and south arms are barrel- vaulted. The main apse is in the center, with two additional apses on either side. The walls and dome are decorated with geometric patterns and military symbols, but the depictions of mythical creatures may surprise you. St. Barbara's Church dates from the 12th century.

Saint Barbara’s Church

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Apple Church or Elmali Kilise

It gets its name from an apple orchard that used to bloom in front of the main entrance, once making it one of the complex's most visible and colorful churches. It is a groin-vaulted structure with a cross-in-square plan. It consists of a room with a central square, and a domed ceiling supported by four pillars; the pillars create cross-shaped spaces. It houses 11th and 12th century frescoes depicting scenes from Christ's life. Stories about Abraham and other biblical characters are also depicted.

Apple Church

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Snake Church or Yilanli Kilise

The only barrel-vaulted chamber in this church is the front chamber. Though the Snake Church is dedicated to Christ, the frescoes, which are painted directly on the walls, pay tribute to historical figures as well. Two saints, Emperor Constantine the Great, and his mother Helena, stand opposite the entrance and by Christ's side. Another story on the walls depicts St. George and St. Theodore killing the dragon. The dragon resembles a snake, which explains the name. St. Basil of Caesarea, the founder of the Goreme churches, is also honored. Snake Church was left unfinished.

Snake Church

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Dark Church or Karanlik Kilise

The Dark Church is well worth the extra admission fee, despite receiving less sunlight than the other churches. You can access it via a winding tunnel that leads to a barrel-vaulted narthex, which is nothing more than the west end of the main church. There are three graves to the south of this space, which most likely belong to the church's donors. The Dark Church's frescoes are incredibly well-preserved, thanks to the cover of decades of bird-drippings and more recent restoration efforts. The frescoes depict many important biblical events, including the Annunciation, the Journey to Bethlehem, the Raising of Lazarus, the Last Supper, Judas' Betrayal, and the Crucifixion. The images are among the most widely reproduced works of art in religious publications and travel guides.

Dark Church

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Sandals Church or Carikli Kilise

The Sandals Church is one of Goreme's larger churches, with three apses and four domes. The numerous, well-preserved frescoes depict various stories from Jesus Christ's life. Saints and patrons of the church are also depicted. The footprints, located just after the entrance and beneath the ceiling fresco of Christ's Ascension to Heaven, represent the sandals from which the church derives its name. The images are large, and the central dome dominates the imagery, which includes the common Greek Orthodox depiction of Jesus the Pantocrator with angel busts. 'Almighty' is the most common translation of the Greek Pantocrator.

Sandals Church

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Though Goreme Open-Air Museum is best known for its rock-cut churches, it does not have a monopoly on troglodyte Christian shrines. Rock-cut churches can be found throughout Cappadocia, including the church of St. John the Baptist, the Uzumlu or Grape Church, and the Church of St. Nichlitas. The Nicephoras Phocas Church is in Cavusin, while the Church with the Cross stands in the Red Valley.

Muslims and Christians co-existed peacefully in Cappadocia and throughout Turkey until the late nineteenth century. Following the establishment of the modern state of Turkey, Christians evacuated the region in large numbers as part of the 1924 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Muslims lived in the National Park region until the 1950s, when they were forced to leave due to the increased risk of cave-ins caused by erosion.

Cappadocia-Tourists’ Paradise

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