Going to the cave churches at Goreme Open Air Museum is a treat, but it reminds one of what produced such things— persecution. We will see an underground city after this post where Christians hid. We are talking about Christianity in the first four centuries of its existence, when it was literally an underground phenomenon, and it appears to have really thrived in Cappadoccia. They do not allow you to take indoor shots of the cave churches any more so of some of these appear a little small or strange, it’s because they are not my shots. Let’s start with residences first, before we explore cave churches. There are still some folks living in these tufa cave homes.
Who is that guy hanging out beneath the God’s eye tree??
Cappadoccia and especially Goreme is a high tourist area, so there are a variety of things on offer….
Anyone up for being a sultan??
Here’s a shy little Turkish boy, standing next to an ancient folding door…
The exteriors of the cave churches are often as remarkable as the interiors.
The degree of skill and artisanship in the painting (and frescoing) of the inside of these churches is remarkable. The two churches one must see the inside of is the dark church and the blue church, but others are worth the climb as well. Here’s a variety of what you see…
But not far away, there is more evidence of a darker side of what happened to Christians in this region. We will explore the underground city nearby next.
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