Abstract:

Castabala in Ancient Cilicia is a city became prominent during Late Hellenstic period during the reign of Tarkondimotos, vassal king of Rome. The golden age of the city was its time under the Roman Imperial Period. During this period, in 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, a colonnaded street and other monumental buildings were built. In Late Antiquity, idiosyncratic sacred structures/buildings of the singularity of worship were also built in the city. In this context, the buildings named “North Church” and “South Church” were built by re-using of the architectural elements of the monumental buildings of Roman Empire period of the city. North Church is the main subject to be focused in this paper. In the context of Kuzey Kilise, the construction in question takes on a paradoxical meaning. The main reason of it is that the blocks and architectural elements not to be situated in the places which normally they had to be. The monumental mass as called North Church within the scope of the article is analyzed within the frame of the spolia, deconstruction, Genius Loci concept and Artemis Perasia cult, the God-Emperors of Rome, the construction of Christianity via Paul and the interpretation of this construction in the context of poststructuralist critique. Besides, North Church edifice is commentated within the frame of certain contexts and clusteral relationships in terms of church architecture and typology in the context of Cilicia and Anatolia.