Photos of the Medieval Cappadocia Aynali Cave Church

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Photos of the Medieval Byzantine Cappadocia Aynali Cave Church, Anatolia Turkey. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Medieval Cappadocia Aynali Cave Church, Anatolia Turkey.

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Photos of Aynali Kilise (Church) a cave church complex, 11th century, near Goreme, Cappadocia, Nevsehir, Turkey. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

St Paul in Cappadocia

Cappadocia has been a site of Christian churches and monasteries from the beginning of Christianity. St Paul came to Caesarea in Cappadocia where he and his companions stayed with Philip the Evangelist before travelling on to Jerusalem.

The Cappadocian Fathers

The famous Cappadocian Fathers or Three Cappadocian’s, Saint Basil (330–379), who was bishop of Caesarea; his younger brother Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c. 395), who was bishop of Nyssa; and a close friend, Gregory of Nazianzus (329–389), who became Patriarch of Constantinople, show that Cappadocia produced many important theologians.

Aynali Kilise Cave Church

Aynali Kilise cave church is typical of the iconoclastic period (725-842) churches built in Cappadocia. Situated in a remote valley near Goreme the Aynali Kilise cave church would have been hidden away from the Arab invaders that were pushing into Anatolia.

Iconoclasm

Roman Byzantine Iconoclasm refers to two periods in the history of the Byzantine Roman Empire when the use of figurative religious images was opposed and banned by religious and imperial authorities.

Aynali Kilise cave church is not decorated on the outside with religious figures and the frescoes inside do not depict figurative representations . The interior frescoes are simple red geometric patterns and crosses against the plain rock background.

Fortified Tunnel Entrances

From the Aynali Kilise church there are tunnels into inner rooms and steps lead up to upper galleries. The cave tunnel entrances have round rocks that can be rolled across them to make them impregnable from attack attack.