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Demre: Church of St. Nicholas

Demre is a small town in Turkey that was formerly known as Kale. It has several important historical and religious sites from the Lycian and Byzantine periods, including the Church of St. Nicholas, the ancient city of Myra, and the Apollo oracle at Sura. The Church of St. Nicholas is located in the center of Demre and contains frescoes and mosaic floors honoring the town's patron saint. Myra, located 2km north of Demre, features well-preserved Lycian tombs carved into rock faces above the ancient theater and along the river. Andriake on the banks of the Androkos River was the site of Hadrian's Granary, a crucial structure for storing

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32 views2 pages

Demre: Church of St. Nicholas

Demre is a small town in Turkey that was formerly known as Kale. It has several important historical and religious sites from the Lycian and Byzantine periods, including the Church of St. Nicholas, the ancient city of Myra, and the Apollo oracle at Sura. The Church of St. Nicholas is located in the center of Demre and contains frescoes and mosaic floors honoring the town's patron saint. Myra, located 2km north of Demre, features well-preserved Lycian tombs carved into rock faces above the ancient theater and along the river. Andriake on the banks of the Androkos River was the site of Hadrian's Granary, a crucial structure for storing

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Demre

Demre (officially known as Kale until renamed in 2005) is east of Yavu and has some of
the more fascinating sites of Lycia, like the Church of St. Nicholas, the nearby ancient
city of Myra, ancient harbour of Andriake and Apollo oracle at Sura. Demre itself is a
small shabby town and although it has hotels and restaurants many choose to take day
tours rather than stay there. Its main business is in growing tomatoes and citrus fruits.
In the 5th century Emperor Theodosius II madeDemre the capital of Lycia. St. Nicholas
(Santa Claus or Noel Baba in Turkish), born in Patara in the late 3rd century AD was later
chosen to be the bishop of Myra.

Places to Visit in Demre


Church of St. Nicholas
The Church of St. Nicholas, in the centre of Demre, remains reminiscent of the life and
times of its patron saint. Although many stories and miracles are attributed to St.
Nicholas very little is known about him. He gained the name Santa Claus because of his
reputation for giving away secret gifts, he would put coins in shoes left out for him and
leave purses of gold to girls with no dowry enabling them find husbands and not have to
enter into prostitution. It was also established that he was buried in the church but in
1087 half of his bones were removed by devout Italian thieves and taken to Bari in Italy
and the remainder removed in 1100 and taken to Venice. On 6th December, the Saints
feast day, a special mass is held in the church.
The church was originally built in the 4th century and rebuilt in 1043 by Constantine IX
after its destruction by the Saracens.
The current church today has little in common with the original and was renovated by
Russian Tsar Nicholas I in 1862, when the addition of the vaulted ceiling and belfry were
added, which were unheard of in early Byzantine architecture. Inside are a bishops
throne, a rare sight in Turkish medieval buildings as they were removed when such
churches became mosques, frescoes that were recently renovated, the best situated in
the dome of the north transept and geometric designed mosaic floor panels decorate
the nave and south aisle.
Buses and dolmus go to the central otogar.

Myra
Myra one of the most visited of Lycian sites is a 2km walk or drive north ofDemre town
centre. Although much of the ancient site is still buried some of the best examples of
house style rock tombs in Lycia are to be seen here, the two main groups of which are
above the theatre and at the river necropolis on the east side. Most of the tombs are
from the 4th century BC, and many contain funeral scenes in relief, some of which
portray the daily life of the deceased. One of the most striking is known as The Painted
Tomb showing a group of eleven life-size figures presumed to be the same family.

Andriake and Hadrian's Granary

Andriake built on the banks of the ancient river of Androkos, was the site of Hadrians
Granary. The granary, not only crucial to Myra but the whole RomanWorld as its
contents were sent to Rome and the rest of the empire. Built by Hadrian between 119
and 139 AD and similar to the one at Patara, has eight rooms built with square cut
blocks and the outer walls remain at their original height. Above the central gate are
busts of Hadrian and the Empress Sabina who was said to be his wife.

Sura
ancient Apollo oracle, Sura or Soura is unspoilt and hardly visited. This was never a city but
simply a residence for the priests there and now remains as a rock cut terrace.
Hugely popular across the ancient world, pilgrims would come to stay in the 12 chamber
keep. These pilgrims would present roasted meat to the priests who would throw it into the
sand, most likely a well, where fish were attracted by the food and from the movements of
the fish predictions were given.
In the 4th century AD, the oracle rituals were carried out in the Temple of ApolloSurios and in
the nearby sacred spring that still flows today. After the suppression of the pagan rituals at
the end of the 4th century AD two Byzantinechurches were built, one behind the temple and
the other one in the acropolis.

Beaches in Demre
Cayagzi
Cayagzi , a working fishing port and active boatyard, has a short, broad sandy beach
with dunes that has few snack bars operating there. Boat tours run from here
to Kekova Island .

Suluklu
Suluklu, although a more exposed bay, the cleaner water and beach offers much better
swimming with its 700m of sand and has a few simple restaurants.

Tasdibi
Demres town beach at Tasdibi on the other side of the headland, although more
sheltered is made of coarse pebbles.

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