CAPPADOCİA

Christianity in Cappadocia

At the time of pre-Christian in Cappadocia, there were polytheistic religions and their cult centers. These religions were brought to Cappadocia, which is known to be an important transition center, by the Hittites, Persians and Greeks. Before the advent of Christianity, Judaism dominated the region and paved the way for the spread of Christianity. So, the first Christian preachers preached in synagogues to spread their religion.

One day, Judas (Judas), one of Jesus’ apostles, betrayed him after the “Last Supper” by reporting Jesus to the assembly called the Sanhedrin for 30 silver. As a result, he was captured by the soldiers of Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman Empire’s Judea province. Later, he was crucified in Jerusalem by Pontius Pilate for “inciting the people to revolt”.
The 12 Apostles of Jesus left Palestine to get rid of these violent oppression and to spread the teachings of Jesus, and they sought a suitable environment and suitable geography for the acceptance and advancement of the new religion.

During this period, many of them set foot on Anatolian lands, invited people to this new religion and engaged in missionary activities. As a matter of fact, the first times were quite troublesome, but still, Christianity continued to gain followers.

After a while, Christians who reached the Cappadocia Region encountered a Jewish community. After being accepted by the Jews, they decided to stay here due to the suitability of the living conditions and started to work on the teachings of Jesus.
These people, who worshiped and preached in synagogues in the early days, eventually led to the formation of the Christian community. Thus, Cappadocia has become one of the favorite residential areas of Christians living in the Early Christian Period.
Also, Selime Cathedral, where the first loud ritual was held by Christians about 1700 years ago in Cappadocia, is the center of attention of tourists.