The Red Church of Cappadocia

If you see a brown sign on the side of the road in Turkey and you have time, you should probably stop. Brown signs in Turkey are used to denote the location of historically significant sights. One such sight is the Red Church (Turkish: Kızıl Kilise).

A view from the road on the way to the Red Church. That is a Byzantine Castle in the background.

The Red Church is located in Cappadocia, which is a historical region that stretches across several modern-day provinces in Turkey. Cappadocia is mostly known for its house and church caves carved from the soft rock of the region, but it also has a few other gems as well. When my mom came to visit me I was excited when she was up for getting off the beaten path to look for this particular little gem. However, I didn’t realize how "unbeaten" the path would be. When we visited the site the road was under construction, and it was a bit of an ordeal to find the church.

The picture above was taken at a point of desperation. We could see the church but the road that looked like it used to lead to the church had been demolished. As I sat contemplating whether I should walk, drive a sedan down a steep embankment and through uncut fields, or give up altogether, a tractor popped up onto the road that was under-construction. I immediately drove over and saw a narrow path that led more or less safely down to a road that led to the church. Thank you Mr. Tractor-Man for showing me the way I would have never seen on my own!

According to the historians, the Red Church was built in the sixth century during the rule of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. It was built in memory of Gregory of Nazianzus and possibly on or near the location where he used to live. Gregory was one of the three Cappadocian Church Fathers, two of whom were brothers and all three of whom were friends. They are known for their contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity and to Christology in the fourth century.

One of the most fascinating elements of the Red Church for me was its setting. It is the lone structure in an array of fields for as far as the eye can see. It is also quite amazing that the structure is even standing after so many centuries and changing of kingdoms. I definitely recommend when visiting Cappadocia that you go off the main road to visit this little treasure in a field.