900-year-old Byzantine church unearthed in S Turkey

DEMRE-Anotolia News Agency

A 900-year-old Byzantine church has been unearthed in the ancient city of Myra located in the town of Demre in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

Professor Engin Akyürek from Istanbul University's Art History Department, who is also responsible for the Byzantine period artifacts unearthed during the ongoing excavations at Myra, told Anatolia on Wednesday that a well-preserved Byzantine church had been found six meters below ground level at the ancient site.

Akyürek said the five-meter-wide and 10-meter-high temple dome had been partially destroyed, but the tiles on the roof were still in good condition.

"The church most probably belongs to the 12th century A.D., but we will be able to determine its exact period once we enter the building," Akyürek said.

All Byzantine-period buildings that have managed to survive until today have either undergone restoration or have had their roofs changed, Akyürek said, but added that the Myra church still had its original structure.

Myra was a leading city of the Lycian Union and surpassed Xanthos in early Byzantine times, becoming the capital of Lycia. Its remains are situated about 1.5 km north of today's Demre, on the Kaş-Finike road.

The date of Myra's foundation is unknown as there is no literary mention of it before the 1st century B.C., when it was said to be one of the six leading cities of the Lycian Union, the other five being Xanthos, Tlos, Pinara, Patara and Olympos. It is believed to date back much further however, as an outer defensive wall has been dated to the 5th century B.C.

The city is well known for its amphitheater, the largest in Lycia, and the plethora of rock-cut tombs carved into the cliff above the venue.