Knox Box of Miscellany

Dawn Knox – A rearranger of words into something hopefully meaningful…

On the Trail of St. Nicholas – in Reverse – #MuseItUp #DaffodilAndTheThinPlace

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St. Nicholas represented not as Bishop of Myra but as Santa Claus

St. Nicholas represented not as Bishop of Myra but as Santa Claus

Hi, Reg here! I thought I’d tell you about our day out in Demre, Turkey. We were on a St. Nicholas pilgrimage but for some reason – known only to the Old Boy and Old Girl – we did it in reverse. We started in Demre, where St. Nicholas died, after spending much of his life being a bishop. Then, a few days later, we visited Patara, where he was born.

Statue of St. Nicholas looking a bit more like a saint

Statue of St. Nicholas looking a bit more like a saint

On the day we went to Demre, we arrived without incident at the bus station which, bearing in mind our lack of knowledge of the Turkish language or their buses, was remarkable.  We’d been told the first church of St. Nicholas was nearby but there were no obvious signs, so we walked through the very modern streets, looking for something that looked like an ancient building or even a pile of stones.  It was a miracle we finally found the church, for two reasons. Firstly, it wasn’t signposted and secondly, it was in a hole.

Actually, the church was signposted. But at first, we didn’t realise the sign ‘Noel Baba Muzesi’ or ‘Father Christmas Museum’ was in fact indicating the church we were looking for. We came across the statue of Santa Claus and suspected we might be on the right track but still couldn’t see the church, mainly because most of it was well below street level. There was another statue of St. Nicholas right next to the church, which looked a bit more like I imagine a saint might look, than the jolly Santa Claus statue we’d first seen. But I’m just a dog, so what would I know?

Anyway, we finally found the church which at first sight didn’t look very interesting. There was a large roof over it and we had to go down some steps to enter, but once inside, it was magical, with beautiful paintings on the walls and wonderful curved ceilings. Apparently, there were lots of earthquakes and floods in the 7th century and silt was deposited in the river. Over time, sand and silt from the shifting riverbed covered the church, which explains why it appeared to be down a hole.

Inside the first St. Nicholas Church

Inside the first St. Nicholas Church

Anyway, after exploring the church, we decided to go to Myra which is about 3km from Demre. We spent quite a long time waiting at the Demre bus station for a bus to Myra, before discovering there wasn’t one, so we took a cab. The Old Boy sat in the front on a seat which looked like it had seen better days. The back of it seemed to be broken and it was like a reclining armchair. He was almost lying in the Young’un’s lap.

Young'un with a Roman soldier

The Young’un and his Roman friend

Still, it was worth the ride. The rock tombs were impressive as was the amphitheatre. I was rather surprised to see a Roman soldier talking to a chap with a camera. I’d have liked to stop and chat, after all, it’s not often you come across a Roman soldier but after a series of body swerves, the Old Boy and Old Girl were past him. The Young’un wasn’t so nippy and I realised why the Old’uns had taken evasive action. Before the Young’un knew it, the Roman was posing him like a bendy doll and his friend with the camera was snapping away. For a shy one who hates being the centre of attention, the Young’un did remarkably well, posing with a dagger as if about to strike the soldier, parrying the soldier’s sword-thrust etc. etc. We expected to be pressed to buy the photos but we never saw them. Perhaps the Roman just liked having his photo taken with tourists.

Rock tombs at Myra

Rock tombs at Myra

Broken bit of stone with mask

Broken bit of stone with mask

Amphitheatre

Amphitheatre

There were lots of bits of broken stones lying around and I wondered if anyone had any plans to put some of them together. I had a go but it was a bit complicated.

Anyway, it was a very enjoyable day and it was interesting to see the first St. Nicholas Church. I’ve seen another St. Nicholas Church which was built in 13th century, although I don’t know where it ranks chronologically in the list of St. Nicholas Churches round the world. There are loads of them and if you want to explore a few, have a look at the St. Nicholas Center: Church Gazetteer here

The Old Girl has written a book which you can buy as an ebook and all profits made from sales will go to the upkeep of St. Nicholas Church (the 13th century one). It’s called ‘Daffodil and the Thin Place’ and it takes place in the church. If you want to visit the St. Nicholas Church I’m talking about, it’s in Laindon, Essex. It’s both signposted and isn’t in a hole – in fact, it’s on top of a hill, so you can’t miss it. Or buy the ebook here and have a virtual visit! #MuseItUp #DaffodilAndTheThinPlace

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