Medieval History
In the fourth century A.D., a bishop named Nicholas transformed the city of Myra, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey, into a Christian capital. Nicholas was later canonized, becoming the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame. Myra had a much unhappier fate.
After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage site in the Byzantine Empire it vanished ? buried under 18 feet of mud from the rampaging Myros River. All that remained was the Church of St. Nicholas, parts of a Roman amphitheater and tombs cut into the rocky hills.
But now, 700 years later, Myra is reappearing.
Archaeologists first detected the ancient city in 2009 using ground-penetrating radar that revealed anomalies whose shape and size suggested walls and buildings. Over the next two years they excavated a small, stunning 13th-century chapel sealed in an uncanny state of preservation. Carved out of one wall is a cross that, when sunlit, beams its shape onto the altar. Inside is a vibrant fresco that is highly unusual for Turkey.
Click here to read this article from the New York Times
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- Study Tour: Ancient Cities Of South-west Turkey
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- Saint Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas providing dowries at night to the three virgins. Panel form the St. Nicholas altar of Jánosrét (Lú?ky), c. 1480-90. Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest This is the central part of the altarpiece, with St. Nicholas...
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Medieval History
Sealed Under Turkish Mud, a Well-Preserved Byzantine Chapel
After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage site in the Byzantine Empire it vanished ? buried under 18 feet of mud from the rampaging Myros River. All that remained was the Church of St. Nicholas, parts of a Roman amphitheater and tombs cut into the rocky hills.
But now, 700 years later, Myra is reappearing.
Archaeologists first detected the ancient city in 2009 using ground-penetrating radar that revealed anomalies whose shape and size suggested walls and buildings. Over the next two years they excavated a small, stunning 13th-century chapel sealed in an uncanny state of preservation. Carved out of one wall is a cross that, when sunlit, beams its shape onto the altar. Inside is a vibrant fresco that is highly unusual for Turkey.
Click here to read this article from the New York Times
- Archaeologists To Examine Underground Chamber In Medieval Church
A mysterious chamber buried beneath the central part of St Winwaloe?s Church at East Portlemouth in southwest England will be examined by archaeologists thanks to a grant of £12,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), it was announced this week. The...
- 800-year-old Frescoes Leave Texas For Cyprus
A set of 13th-century Byzantine frescoes ? plundered after Turkey invaded Cyprus and on display in Houston for the last 15 years ? is headed home at last. It's the closing chapter in what turns out to be a remarkable odyssey. It all started in the...
- Study Tour: Ancient Cities Of South-west Turkey
*Study Tour: Ancient Cities of South-West Turkey* *Centre for Late Antique Archaeology, University of Kent* Dr Luke Lavan is organising a study tour of the Ancient Cities of South-West Turkey for 6 days from the 15th to 20th April 2013....
- Saint Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas providing dowries at night to the three virgins. Panel form the St. Nicholas altar of Jánosrét (Lú?ky), c. 1480-90. Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest This is the central part of the altarpiece, with St. Nicholas...
- Saints In All Saints, North Street, York
To celebrate the feast of All Saints, here is the east window of All Saints, North Street in the city of York. This church is a place that is very dear to my heart, I worshipped here between 1998 and 2005 and it was here that my vocation was fostered....