Abstract:

The study of Byzantine stone works provide important information concerning historical buildings; regardless of the condition of the structures. They suggest the demographics, culture, social and spiritual conformation of the Byzantine Period in which they existed. In this context, the main intent of this article is to discuss, in detail, how Sille, a small village outside of Iconium that was Christian inhabited until the population exchange between Turkey and Greece, functioned during Byzantine Empire . From the early times of Christianity, Iconium and its vicinity were centers of considerable significance. Sille, by itself, has a long history reaching the Neolithic Era and appears as a continuous settlement throughout history. The village consists of two major churches, one of them is a wall church whereas, the other is a church that is part of a cave monastery. The former is known as Church of St. Helen and was dedicated to Archangel Michael. It was first built by Emperor Constantine’s mother Helen, when she stopped at Sille during her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in A.D. 327. The church was destroyed in a later, unknown time. Another structure which is now situated in the village was built during or after Medieval Era. Although it is unclear how the first structure appeared, the article attempts to share suggestions which concern utilizing the Byzantine stone works that were detected in the village. The artefacts found in Sille constitute 10 architectural and 7 liturgical elements spanning from the Early to Middle Byzantine Period. After evaluating the stone works correlating with the village’s history, it could be suggested that there was a columned basilica that belongs to the Early Byzantine Period. This columned basilica may be assumed to be the first phase of the Church of St. Helen. The liturgical fragments found on the walls of the Church of St. Helen as spolia belong to the Middle Byzantine Period and were probably used in the same church, having been incorporated during later renovations. Furthermore, liturgical fragments we dated are also important in terms of providing ”terminus ante quem” and proving that the current building was built after 12th century.

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