Myra Ancient City: Santa Claus Came to this Town

Myra doesn’t really sound like an ancient city name to me. While Ginny Lou and I were visiting the city we actually thought about Myra Pringle from Anne of Green Gables.

The ancient city is located in modern-day Demre (dem-ray) on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and was one of the six important cities of the Lycian League. (Patara, Xanthos, and Olympos are other Lycian League Cities we have visited.) The features of the city I found most striking were the tombs built into the rock in the mountain, the large, well-preserved theatre, and the theatrical mask sculptures. It’s also notable that the Apostle Paul stopped in this city on his way to Rome (Acts 27:5) and that St. Nicholas was bishop in Myra in the 4th century AD. Interestingly, there are no remaining pagan temples in this area because St. Nicholas had them all torn down.

The rock tombs are on the left and the theatre is on the right as you enter the archeological site.

1—The Tombs

The first thing that captured my attention was the tombs built into the side of the mountain. I’ve seen tombs like this before but I always find them so striking. I imagined what it must have been like to be a citizen of this city and to constantly have the tombs in line of sight. While shopping, attending the theatre, and working in the fields these imposing monuments loomed over everything in the city. But don’t we get used to the things we see all of the time?

2—The Theatre

Another notable feature of the city is the huge theatre. It is in good shape compared to others I’ve seen in the area. There are also rock tombs cut in the mountain above the theatre. Entertainment always included a view of the departed.

3—The Theatrical Mask Sculptures

One thing I saw in Myra that I have not seen elsewhere was a huge collection of theatrical mask sculptures. To be honest, they were pretty creepy. So, of course, we are going to give the creepy masks their own post.

It was nice to meet you Myra. Make sure you visit the Church of St. Nicholas and this really cute Greek-styled cafe (the homemade, hand-cut french fries were incredible) if you are in the Demre area.