Author(s): AytuÄ ARSLAN
The principals behind choosing a cult site in Christianity are various. The importance of the place due to the biblical reference is the common feature for many churches, especially in the Holy Lands. However, the miracles of the saints, Marian apparition or the miraculous historical events involving emperors constitute the other basis for the religious sites in the regions such as Anatolia, Balkans and Greece. In practice of Christian churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary, even the natural features of the site such as streams, caves have played an important role for the choice. There is a cave converted into a church, named Gavur Be?i?i, in the village of Çaml?k, the district of Derebucak, Konya. This study aims at the evaluation of the cave church in many respects by considering the other examples in Anatolia to find out to whom it was dedicated, its geographical features and iconographic program.
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