A 900-year-old Byzantine church was recently unearthed at the ancient city of Myra, located in the present-day town Demre in the Antalya Province of Turkey.
The church was found at 6 metres below the ground, Professor Engin Akyurek from Istanbul University's Art History Department, who is also responsible for the Byzantine period artifacts unearthed during the ongoing excavations at Myra, told national media.
The churches dome, which measures 5 metres in width and 10 metres in height, has been partially destroyed, but the tiles of its roof were in good condition.
According to Akyurek, the temple most likely dates back to the twelfth century, although its exact period will be determined once the arcaheologists and art historians enter the actual building.
An interesting fact about the newly discovered church, according to the professor, is that it has maintained its original structure even though all of the site’s other surviving buildings from the Byzantine period had either gone through a restoration process or their roofs had been changed.
Myra, a leading city of the Lycian Union along with Xanthos, Tlos, Pinara, Patara and Olympos, became the capital city of Lycia in early Byzantine times.
There is no substantiated written reference for Myra before it was listed as a member of the Lycian alliance (168 BC - AD 43) and according to the Greek historian, geographer and philosopher Strabo, it was one of the largest towns of the alliance.
The city is well-known for its architectural remains, including an amphitheatre, which was the largest in Lycia, and the numerous tombs cut into the rocks of the cliff above the theatre.
Source: Balkan Travellers [July 15, 2010]