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Christianity has a long history
in Anatolia, which is the birth
place of numerous Christian
Apostles and Saints, such as
Apostle Paul of Tarsus, Timothy,
St. Nicholas of Myra, St.
Polycarp of Smyrna and many
others.
Two out of the five centers
(Patriarchates) of the ancient
Pentarchy are in Turkey:
Constantinople (Istanbul) and
Antioch (Antakya). Antioch was
also the place where the
followers of Jesus were called
"Christians" for the first time
in history, as well as being the
site of one of the earliest and
oldest surviving churches,
established by Saint Peter
himself. For a thousand years,
the Hagia Sophia was the largest
church in the world.
Turkey is also home to the Seven
Churches of Asia, where the
Revelations to John were sent.
Apostle John is reputed to have
taken Virgin Mary to Ephesus in
western Turkey, where she spent
the last days of her life in a
small house, known as the House
of the Virgin Mary, which still
survives today and has been
recognized as a holy site for
pilgrimage by the Catholic and
Orthodox churches, as well as
being a Muslim shrine. The cave
of the Seven Sleepers is also
located in Ephesus.
All of the first seven
Ecumenical Councils which are
recognized by both the Western
and Eastern churches were held
in present-day Turkey. |
