BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13165
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Jolly ole Saint Nicholas! DEMRE, Turkey
We went to the village where a bishop named Nicholas was buried and later the bones taken to Bari, Italy. The architecture is byzantine and gorgeous,
the frescoes also beautiful and I was spiritually moved being inside.
St. Nicholas inspired our Santa Claus, I guess he was a generous person with children?
Here is what wiki says about the church:
St. Nicholas Church is an ancient East Roman basilica church in the ancient city of Myra, now a museum located in modern Demre, Antalya Province,
Turkey. It was built above the burial place of St Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian bishop of Myra,[1][2] an important religious figure for Eastern
Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics and the historical inspiration for Santa Claus.[3] Its use dated from its 6th century construction for the
state church of the Roman Empire by Justinian the Great. The basilica is on UNESCO's tentative list to become a World Heritage Site.[4]
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I took quite a few photos, one of the signs there says that drones are not allowed. Weird, I am not sure why?
GPS directs you to the most filthy parking lot I have seen in a long time. If we had had more time, i would have done a clean up. And if I ever do
have another chance to go there, I will include that in the plans.
Once you leave the parking lot, there is a people only walkway with souvenir stores with everything St. Nick - coffee cups to postcards to medallions.
The church is across from this big shop, opened at 8 and already had a big group of tourists with a tour guide.
Here is some more info from wiki:
The church was built in AD 520 on the foundations of an older Christian church where Saint Nicholas had served as a bishop.[5] Justinian I contributed
to the reconstruction.[6] It is noted for its remarkable wall frescos, and its architectural and religious significance.[5]
Over time the church was flooded and filled with silt. In 1862 it was restored by Russian Emperor Nicholas I, who added a tower and made other changes
to its Byzantine architecture. The church continued to function until its final abandonment by the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1923, when the remaining
Greeks of Demre were required to leave by the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
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Inside, there is a sign that says that the Russian Emperor sent some writing in ancient Russian using ancient Cyrillic alphabet and the transcriber
who was Turkish made many horrible misspellings.
All around this area of Turkey, there is marble. Huge chunks are removed from mountain sides and almost every apartment here has white marble floors,
sometimes green marble floors. Inside the church, the floor designs were all marble of many different colors.
This was an amazing adventure, right up my alley to visit churches, museums and historical places! Lots of photos in a week or so.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64480
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Neat!
Drones are annoying, so maybe that's why?
Send a couple of photos if you can.
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