Tea Chest Tidbits – short posts with lots of delightful photos of our time in Turkey.
The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic Gods giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.
St. Nicholas of Myra
We love historical sites and learning about the local history on our travels, so when the opportunity arose to visit St. Nicholas Church we jumped at the chance. It was a warm spring day when we set off with our driver who is an amazingly helpful tour guide too. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I try not to research too much in advance as I like to be surprised, and I really was.
Walking down the cobbled path towards the church we both stopped and stood for a few moments in silence, in awe. We listened to the birds and wind in the trees and breathed in the atmosphere, it was quite breath taking. Here we were standing in a place that was thousands of years old, which held such an important, interesting history and it felt surreal and very special.
St. Nicholas was from Demre (previously known as Myra), he was an early Christian Bishop during the Roman Empire. You may have heard him referred to as Nicholas the Wonderworker or Nicholas of Bari. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, children, merchants, brewers, prostitutes, archers and students. He is legendary for secret gift giving which is where the tradition of ‘St. Nick’ is said to have began, the real life model if you like. Many stories have been written about St. Nicholas from saving sailors from storms, rescuing young girls from prostitution, saving men from execution and resurrecting young children murdered and pickled in brine during the famine. How many of these are true is unknown but what is known is that St. Nicholas was a generous, caring and faithful man whose life has been depicted in many paintings, tapestries, stained glass windows and frescoes.
Photo By Dosseman
St. Nicholas Church was built in AD 520 upon the foundations of an older Christian church where St. Nicholas had previously served as a bishop. It is thought it was built to protect his tomb and honour his memory. Sadly in 1087 St. Nicholas’s tomb was desecrated and it is believed some of his bones were taken to Italy, leaving an empty sarcophagus in the church. The church has been flooded, rebuilt, added on to and used right up until 1923. Both Constantine IX in 1043 and Tsar Nicholas I in 1862 ordered major reconstruction of the church after flooding, earthquakes and war took its toll on the site. Excavation work in the main square of Demre rediscovered the church in 1956 and has been a place of interest for many historians, religious experts, archaeologists and tourists. This incredible site received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1982.
Catch us next time when we share with you the amazing critters we have come across on our journey.
Happy Tea Drinking and Fair Winds ♥
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The Tea Chest Blog 
WOW how beautiful!
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Wonderful Justine, that must have been an amazing moment.
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Sure was, incredible
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Wow, what a lovely read Justine. Sounds like an amazing experience and a treasure to be able to visit it.
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Yes it was pretty amazing alright. Thanks so much for your support and comment, very much appreciated 🙏
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Even prostitutes deserve Christmas presents. A facinating building and awe inspiring photographs.. St Nic in what mostly seems to me to have its feet firmly in the Muslim faith. Surprising to say the least. I hope you took a flask of tea so you could soak in the ambiance and sip.
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Absolutely true, everyone deserves Christmas presents. Such a wonderfully calm place to be, we loved every moment of it.
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I love the history overseas. So much and the architecture is so incredible and beautiful. To think that was built by hand – the craftmanship. Some places everywhere you look is history and art.
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Absolutely, we find it incredibly interesting as our own country has such a short history. I am always in awe of the craftsmanship, all those blocks moved by hand. Just unfathomable.
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Turkey is a beautiful place! Thanks for highlighting this monument, will definitely want to paint a picture of it!
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Thank you so much, I would love to see your painting.
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This is Mesmerizing and so beautiful! You have put the details so well. Love it. Thanks for sharing
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Thank you for your kind words, they are very much appreciated. So pleased you enjoyed it.
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Wow–amazing! Thank you for sharing this!
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So glad you enjoyed it, more beautiful historic sites to share coming up soon
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Very neat post detailing the origins of Santa Clause. I liked the craftsmanship shown in the pictures. Glad the church has survived this long.
Thanks for the post.
Signed
http://www.welovetheoldestparents.com
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Thank you so much for your kindness and feedback very much appreciated. It is a very beautiful place indeed. Thank you for popping in to the Tea Chest Blog 🙏
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There are some wonderful photos in this post and the information accompanying it was really appreciated. Great post.
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Thanks so much for popping in to the Tea Chest Blog. I love taking photos of everywhere I visit, such a great reminder of places visited.
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