Early Christian Heritage Tour in Turkey – 11 Days

Your journey begins at Istanbul Airport, where our representative meets you and transfers you by private vehicle to your hotel on the historic peninsula. The rest of the day is free to recover from your flight. Istanbul is not a city of Paul’s journeys, but as Byzantium and later Constantinople it became one of the great centers of Christian faith, theology and worship. From here the tour traces how the Church grew from the apostolic communities to the Ecumenical Councils, the monasteries of Cappadocia and the Byzantine heritage of Asia Minor. Overnight in Istanbul.

Historical context: Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19–20 (the spread of the Gospel, not events in Istanbul)

A full day in Byzantine Constantinople. Hagia Sophia, completed under Justinian in AD 537, was the cathedral of the Eastern Empire for nearly a thousand years; its mosaics of Christ and the Virgin are seen where accessible. Hagia Irene, one of the city’s oldest churches, is traditionally linked with the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, which completed the Creed’s teaching on the Holy Spirit. At the Chora Church, the Anastasis fresco shows the risen Christ raising Adam and Eve. We finish at the Hippodrome, the ceremonial heart of the capital. Mosque visits are timed around prayer times. Overnight in Istanbul.

Biblical References: John 1:1–14; John 14:16–17; 1 Corinthians 15:20–22 · Historical: First Council of Constantinople (AD 381)

A day in Nicaea, modern Iznik, where Constantine convened the first Ecumenical Council in AD 325, which affirmed that Christ is of one essence with the Father. In the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, now a mosque, the Second Council of Nicaea met in AD 787 and upheld the veneration of icons. At the Iznik Lake Basilica, an early church found beneath the lake in 2014, we view the remains from the visitor area; its link to the council of 325 is proposed, not proven. We end at the ancient walls’ Istanbul Gate and Lefke Gate before returning to Istanbul. (about 4–4.5 hours of driving in total)

Biblical References: John 1:1–14; John 10:30; Colossians 1:15–20 · Historical: First Council of Nicaea (AD 325); Second Council of Nicaea (AD 787)

After breakfast we fly from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevsehir, depending on the flight schedule, and transfer by private vehicle to Cappadocia. Cappadocians were among the crowd who heard the apostles at Pentecost, and Peter’s first letter is addressed to believers here. In the fourth century the region gave the Church the Cappadocian Fathers, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa, whose teaching shaped the doctrine of the Trinity after Nicaea. The rest of the day is free, as flight timing allows. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Biblical References: Acts 2:9–11; 1 Peter 1:1

Today is dedicated to the rock-cut churches of Goreme. At the UNESCO-listed Goreme Open-Air Museum, monastic communities carved churches and refectories into the volcanic rock; we see chapels such as the Apple Church, Snake Church and Sandal Church. The Tokali Church holds one of Cappadocia’s finest tenth-century fresco cycles, from Christ’s ministry to the Resurrection, and the Dark Church preserves vivid scenes of the Nativity, Baptism and Crucifixion. These paintings come centuries after the Cappadocian Fathers, but they show the icon tradition the Council of 787 defended. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Biblical References: Luke 2:1–20; Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 23:33–46; 1 Corinthians 15:3–8

We begin underground at Kaymakli, a settlement of tunnels, storerooms and ventilation shafts on several levels; it predates Christianity but was later expanded and used by Christian communities in unsettled times. In Ihlara Valley, a canyon cut by the Melendiz River, we visit selected Byzantine churches such as Agacalti, Yilanli or Sumbullu. The descent is 394 steep steps, so this walk is optional and planned around the group. The day ends at Selime Monastery, a rock-cut monastic complex with its own church above the valley. Overnight in Cappadocia. (about 3.5–4 hours of driving in total)

Biblical References: Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:4–13; 1 Peter 4:7–11

A travel day from central Anatolia to the Aegean. We transfer to Kayseri or Nevsehir Airport for the flight to Izmir, direct or with a connection depending on the schedule, then continue by private vehicle to Kusadasi (about 1 hour 15 minutes). The setting changes from the monasteries of Byzantine Cappadocia to the Roman province of Asia, where Paul taught for more than two years and from where the Gospel spread through the region. The rest of the day is free, depending on flight times. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Biblical References: Acts 19:8–10; Revelation 1:11

Paul taught in Ephesus for over two years; today we read Acts 19 in the Great Theatre, scene of the silversmiths’ riot. Entering from the Upper Gate, we walk downhill along Curetes Street past the Library of Celsus. Within the site stands the Church of Mary, where the Council of Ephesus met in AD 431 and affirmed Mary as Theotokos, Mother of God, a statement about the unity of Christ’s person. In Selcuk, the Basilica of St. John stands over the apostle’s traditional tomb. The visit to the House of the Virgin Mary is included, and each guest decides whether to go in. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Biblical References: Acts 19:1–41; Revelation 2:1–7; John 19:26–27 · Historical: Council of Ephesus (AD 431)

At Miletus, Paul sent for the elders of Ephesus and gave them his farewell address before sailing for Jerusalem; they knelt and prayed together and walked him to the ship. Among the ruins of this Ionian port we see the great Roman Theatre and the harbor area. Inland at Aphrodisias, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Temple of Aphrodite was rebuilt as a Christian basilica around AD 500, and the city later took the name Stauropolis, City of the Cross. We pass the Tetrapylon gateway before continuing to Pamukkale for two nights. (about 5 hours of driving in total)

Biblical References: Acts 20:15–38 · Historical: conversion of the Temple of Aphrodite into a basilica (late 5th–early 6th century)

Two neighboring churches of the Lycus Valley, both named in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. At Laodicea, the wealthy city rebuked as “lukewarm” in Revelation, we walk the colonnaded streets to the Laodicea Church, a fourth-century basilica built after Christianity became legal, not the meeting place of the first congregation. Hierapolis, where Epaphras labored, holds a Roman theatre, gates and necropolis above the travertines of Pamukkale. Subject to site access and walking ability, we climb to the Martyrium of St. Philip, the octagonal shrine where tradition places Philip’s martyrdom. Overnight in Pamukkale.

Biblical References: Colossians 4:12–16; Revelation 3:14–22; Acts 8:4–13

After breakfast you are transferred by private vehicle to Denizli Cardak Airport (about 1 hour 15 minutes). Your included domestic flight takes you to Istanbul, where you connect with your separately booked international flight. Over eleven days the journey has followed the Church from the apostolic communities of Ephesus, Miletus and the Lycus Valley to the councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus, and the monastic tradition of Cappadocia.