Meals: Dinner.
Arrival in Istanbul, and connecting with a flight to Kayseri (ASR). Arrive to Kayseri, meet with the guide and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Today we will be exploring of one of the most interesting regions in Turkey – Cappadocia, which is also incredibly important in Christian history. In the morning we will drive to visit the Eskigumus Monastery, the most impressive and most southerly of all Cappadocian monasteries, lost in history and rediscovered only in the mid-20th century. It is very well preserved and has some of the best-preserved frescoes in all of Cappadocia. From here we will continue to visit the Soganli Valley. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Optional hot air balloon early in the morning. Today we will visit Urgup, known as Prokopi to the Greek population. Urgup was a place of the pious labors of St. John the Russian. We will visit a house with the stable where he worked and lived and the church were his relics were before they were taken to Greece by resettled local townsfolk. Then onto the Pasabagi Valley with the cave hermit dwellings and the Goreme open Air Museum. Many of the dwellings in this wondrous region were inhabited up until the 1920s, monasteries were populated and churches were in use. The sad events of the early 20th century turned most of the once densely populated cave cities into ghost towns and “open air museums”. Dinner & overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
This morning will be our last day in the region of Cappadocia. Our first stop will be at Derinkuyu, an underground city. Such places served as a refuge for hundreds of locals and their livestock during the time of invasion. Multi-level structures were completed with kitchens, storage places, barns, and even chapels. As we continue our journey to Konya, the Iconium of old, we will visit the Agzikarahan Caravanserai, build in the 13th century as a safe haven on the major trade route. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Konya.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Today we will visit two archeological parks – those of Aspendos and Perge. Both cities are located some miles away from Antalya and both of them were considered important centers during the Roman and Byzantine periods. While Aspendos was known for its well-preserved theater and large aqueduct, Perge has some important surviving Christian monuments. It is known that Perge was visited by the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys. Dinner and overnight in Antalya.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
in the morning we will transfer to Myra (Demre) the town where St. Nicholas was bishop and where his relics rested till the time when his remains were taken to Bari in Italy. The city of Myra was a very important historical center as in the day it was one of the prime cities of the province of Lycia. Later in the afternoon we will board a private boat for lunch and the exploration of the sunken city of Simena. The place that we will visit is truly unique. Stairs of Ancient long-since-abandoned buildings descent straight into the water. More adventurous folks may take a swim in pristine turquoise waters of the little gulfs where the boat will be moored. For dinner and overnight we will return back to Antalya.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
In the morning we will attend local Orthodox Church for the Divine Liturgy, and after the service we will visit one of the best Archeological museums in all of Turkey, boasting a magnificent collection of the artifacts found in the region. In the afternoon we will transfer to Pamukkale, a town built in close proximity to Ancient Hierapolis, famous for it hot water springs and travertines. People in Antiquity believed that the hot springs had healing properties, and were coming to Hierapolis for treatments from afar. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
First stop of the day will be at Ancient Hierapolis, located just a short drive from our hotel. We will walk through the ancient colonnaded street and have a look at the beautiful travertines. Those who would want to climb to the martyrium built over the site where Apostle Phillip was executed. Our next stop will be Ancient Laodicea. Among many other things, it is important as a host place of a Council that in mid-4th century formulated the Biblical Canon. In recent years, an ancient house was excavated with a strange room that was expended for communal use. Some of the scholars believe that this is the remnant of the ancient house church, where faithful were gathering for prayers and possibly Eucharistic meals. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
The Island of Patmos is mentioned in the Book of Revelation that is inscribed by the earliest Christian tradition to St. John the Theologian. In the book it is stated that St. John was on the Island of Patmos when he received his revelation, and hagiography completes that account by stating that St. John was expelled to Patmos from the city of Ephesus where he resided and preached for a long time. The most important pilgrim destinations on the island are the Cave of the Revelation and the Monastery of St. John. We will visit both and then we’ll stop for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern in one of the villages.
(Please note that travel to Patmos is weather dependent. Under unlikely, but possible circumstances of coast guard not allowing charted boat to travel from Kusadasi to Patmos due to high winds or inclement weather, an alternative excursion to Miletus and Didyma will be offered).
Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Today we will spend a full day exploring the ancient city of Ephesus. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this city in the historical context. The city is closely associated with important New Testament and Early Church historical figures; two of the Seven Ecumenical Councils recognized by the Orthodox Church were conducted in this city. The antiquities of the city are very well preserved and in some sense rival those of Pompeii in Italy. Among many other sites, we will visit the site of the Artemision (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), the Museum, and Basilica Tomb of St. John the Theologian. Our dinner will be enroute to the airport. Evening flight to Istanbul (about one hour). Transfer to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner. Istanbul-Constantinople is in no need of introduction. We will start our visit of the glorious imperial city with a visit to what was once the heart of Eastern Christendom, the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, and its older “neighbor” the church of Hagia Irini. We will continue the exploration of the city with the most beautiful Chora Church (if it will be reopened by the time of our visit open) with its world-famous mosaics and frescoes. Overnight at the hotel in Istanbul.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today we will continue our exploration of the Great City with the visit to Church of the Mother of God at Blachernae, famous for the miraculous apparition of the Mother of God, celebrated during the Feast of Protection and the Church of Sergius and Bacchus, known also as “Little Hagia Sophia”. We will make a stop at the Spice Market and will finish our day at the Archeological Museum. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Istanbul.
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the airport and your flight back home.
