2024 Turkey: Hierapolis (III), The Martyrion of Phililp

 Church history associates the Apostle Philip with Hierapolis.

You might not remember Philip so much; he is one of the "not in the inner circle" apostles.  He does come up from time to time though, mostly in the Gospel of John.  He is the one that asks Christ how they will feed the 5,000.  He is the one that the Greek speakers came to in order to meet Christ (along with his name, likely suggesting he spoke Greek as well as Aramaic).  He is the one at the last Supper that asks Christ to show them the Father.

Church tradition holds that he preached in Galilee, Greece, Parthia, and finally in the Roman province of Asia in Phyrigia, where he last settled in Hierapolis. He was martyred - traditionally by being crucified upside down, but beheading is also not out of the question - on or about A.D. 80.

Around A.D. 2011, a site that had been long associated with him was determined to be the original resting place of his relics (which were transported long ago to Rome).

The church, a martyrion (or martyrium), is simply a church built over the tomb of the martyr.  It is located outside the city walls - not surprising, as few citizens were buried within the city walls.

The hike itself from Hierapolis proper was pleasant enough, a gentle rise that gets one a view over the whole valley.

The church itself was only excavated in A.D. 2011.  It had three naves and two pools for healing purposes.

Looking back down over the valley.  The bridge marks where the city walls would have run to.

The pillars mark the area where the altar was.

The tomb of Philip the Apostle.

Inside the tomb.

Originally the church was part of a temple complex dedicated to Philip.  During the excavations in 2011, they found a carving of a man (Philip) holding bread, a reminder of his question to Christ.