Pisidian Antioch, Turkey
“…they went on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them saying, brother if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it. So Paul stood up ….” Acts 13:14-16
What follows is the first sermon by Paul recorded in the Bible, and this took place at Pisidian Antioch, Yalvac Turkey today. The site is on a plateau that has a beautiful view of the valley, the remains of elevated aqueduct to the north, the modern city to the west. The site entrance is near the remains of what was once a triple arched Roman gate, after Paul’s time, from the 2nd century AD.
The large church excavation in the west side is from the 4th century AD. We haven’t read that any remains of a 1st century synagogue have been found, but from the Bible and ancient historians it is known that there was a large community of Jews even though this was also a Roman military center.
At the north end of the Cardo Maximus are the remains of a large nymphaeum fountain. The channels for water under the street are visible. There is also a bath complex at the north end.
Along the Cardo Maximus, there are remains of another basilica. An additional area that has no signage looks to be yet another church with 3 apses and isles. We discovered later that even though we knew “Giris” meant entrance, the following word we didn’t know , “Yasak” meant forbidden…. No wonder there weren’t signs explaining the finds! Oops! Also along this road is an area with what appear to ovens and storage containers.
The Tiberia Plateau is on the east side of the Cardo Maximus - a huge plaza that was paved and colonnaded. Steps at the back/east end were once grand steps with a propylon leading up to the temple of Augustus. Even today - the enormity of the temple area is a bit jaw dropping. The back two story stoa around the temple was carved out of the hill and has a grand view.
There are also remains of shops lining the cardos and remains of a theater.
Our visit was on a cloudy day, but it didn’t detract from the beauty of the site. Walking the streets and seeing that enormous temple gives emphasis to the bravery of Paul and Barnabus as they carried out the mission God had for them.
There is a small museum in Yalvac with finds from the site including a Sergius Paulus inscription.
Basilica of St Paul - Pisidian Antioch
