CAPPADOCIA
The topography of the region began forming 13 million years ago due to volcanic eruptions and formations. Calderas that were active from this period until about 2-3 million years ago, and the subsequent volcanic activities of Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, and Mount Melendiz are the main factors shaping the region’s geology. The predominant volcanic structures in the region are ignimbrite accumulations that formed in pre-existing lakes. The volcanic layers in the region consist of rocks such as tuff, tuffite, ignimbrite, lahar, clay, volcanic ash, sandstone, basalt, and agglomerate.
The Cappadocia region includes the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Niğde, and Aksaray. In his work “Geographika,” Strabo describes the Cappadocia region as being bounded by Galatia and Pontus to the north, Armenia to the east, Cilicia to the south, and Phrygia to the west. Broadly, Cappadocia extends from east of Tuz Lake to Malatya and the Euphrates River, and from the Pontic Mountains in the north to the Taurus Mountains in the south.
The name Cappadocia (Kappadokia) first appears on a monument commissioned by Persian King Darius I on the rocks of Mount Behistun between Kermanshah and Hamedan.
Additionally, the name is derived from the Persian “Katpaktukya,” meaning “Land of Beautiful Horses.” Horses from the region held significant cultural and economic value and were given as taxes and gifts, a tradition that persisted during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The region was also known for its mules, which were similarly used for tax payments.
In the first century of Roman rule, four main cities were recorded in the region: Kayseri (Caesarea/Mazaka), Aksaray (Koloneia), Malatya (Melitene), and Kemerhisar/Bor/Niğde (Tyana). Kayseri remained the highest-ranking church until the Council of Chalcedon and received considerable infrastructural investment. Aksaray was founded by the last King of Cappadocia, Archelaus, and named after its Roman settlers. Kemerhisar was a well-known Hellenistic center. Sivas (Sebasteia/Megalopolis) was founded by Pompey. Over time, the Cappadocia region housed up to 40 bishoprics.
Underground settlements became popular in Cappadocia because the excavated tuff served as excellent fertilizer and did not require quarrying for stone and other building materials. Settlements large enough to include a bishop and over 1,000 people were called cities, but most of the population lived in smaller settlements called kome or chorion.
Two main areas in Cappadocia contain the majority of monastery settlements. The first area is between Mount Hasan, Niğde, and the Taurus Mountains, and the second is bordered by Kayseri to the east, Aksaray to the west, the Kızılırmak River to the north, and the Soğanlı Valley to the south. Within the second area, Ürgüp, Göreme, and Çavuşin are notable for their dense concentrations of churches. Most monasteries and churches are located in Göreme, considered isolated but only 1.5 kilometers from Avcılar/Göreme town.
The abundance of churches and monasteries in Cappadocia is primarily due to the numerous religious foundations. While some benefactors were monks and clergy, many were ordinary devout people. The period between the post-iconoclasm era and the Battle of Manzikert saw the greatest proliferation of churches. During this time, economic prosperity and political stability in the region enabled local families to gain significant wealth, fostering the rapid increase in church and monastery constructions.
Bibliography
– Cooper, J. E., & Decker, M. J. (2012). Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
– Strabon (2021). Geographika. İstanbul: Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayınları.
– Teteriatnikov, N. B. (1996). The Liturgical Planning of Byzantine Churches in Cappadocia. Roma: Pontificio Istituto Orientale.
– Uysun, M. (2021). Kapadokya Kiliseleri İkonografisi Kapadokya’nın Kutsal Sanatı. Ankara: Mustafa Uysun Yayıncılık.
