Özet:

In the Byzantine era, water, based on references in religious texts, is considered the source of life and divine resurrection, a symbol of blessing and purification. Therefore, in addition to the healing/treatment practices, it appears as an important element in liturgical uses. Thalassidions are small-dimensional water deposits located under or near the altar, connected to a water system and used for the washing of liturgical objects after rituals. The number of early Byzantine churches known to have increased thanks to the archaeological excavations carried out in recent years. But if the arrangements identified in the churches are linked to the water cult, the question of how they are used continues to exist. Therefore, the article is intended to describe the use of water in churches and to detail the Thalassidion arrangements, which have an important place among them. The arrangements of the detected Thalassidion samples are different. There are no common characteristics in the location, shape and water system. It is possible to bring suggestions that there is thalassidion for some churches thanks to the water, canal and canyon systems. According to the architectural data, one example is identified in Cyprus, Jerusalem, North Africa and Greece, and five examples are identified in Anadolu.

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