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“I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia”
Seek the incarnate Word through the sacredness of place
Your church’s custom pilgrimage to Turkey will follow the footsteps of Saint Paul, visit the churches of Revelation, and the birthplaces of the saints. Beginning in Istanbul you’ll uncover the many layers and intersections of history and Christianity as you explore the old city of Constantinople and center of Byzantine Christianity. Together with your local guide and pilgrimage leader, you’ll visit Hagia Sophia, Hagia Irene, the Chora (with its astonishing mosaics), the underground cistern, the hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, and Topkapi Palace. Continuing to Cappadocia, Pergamon, Sardis, Loadacia, Heirapolis, and Ephesus, you’ll visit rock carved churches and underground cities, have the opportunity to soar above the Gorem valley in a hot air balloon, see the Basilica of Saint John, and the pilgrimage sites where John, Paul, and Phillip preached.
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• Istanbul, 3 nights: Hagia Sophia, Hagai Irene, Chora, Patriarchate, underground cistern, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace
• Cappadocia, 3 nights: Goreme church, underground city and churches, open air monastery, Hittite Pottery lecture, and hot air balloon ride.
• Pergamon, 1 night: an ancient Roman city where Paul preached and one of the churches of Revelation.
• Sardis, stop only: One of the oldest synagogues, one of the churches of Revelation to whom it is written: “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
• Loadicia, (2 nights in Pamukkale): one of the churches of Revelation, to whom it is written: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.”
• Hierapolis: archeological site of the ancient city and the monument to the martyrdom of St. Phillip.
• Miletus: one of the stops on St. Paul’s third missionary journey.
• Ephesus, (3 nights Kusadasi): the Basilica of Saint John, Ephesus, House of Mary, and Basilica of Mary
• Tarsus, (possible extension): the birthplace of St. Paul, center of stoic philosophy, where paul trained at the gymnasium
• Antioch, (possible extension): the church of St. Peter (one of the oldest churches in the world), center of Paul’s missionary journeys, and first site where Christians took the name.
Guided by the image of the Incarnation, that “God was made flesh and dwelt among us” in order that we might become like Him, a pilgrimage is more than a trip to the places of the bible, to the sites of the early church, or to the homes of the saints, it is a journey that seeks to place the image of Christ in us that we might be made more like Him.
The antidote to consumer travel, the goal of pilgrimage is for travelers to stand as Moses before the burning bush, to be transformed, and to have their own lives taken up and changed by the spiritual realities they seek.Each day will incorporate suggested readings from scripture and the writings of the early church, time for private or shared reflection and prayer, and meals that celebrate the joy of God in neighbor.
For Christians, place is never just the created, natural order, nor is it pure, spiritual reality, it must always be both. A pilgrimage encounter with place must both seek God in place, in the finite and particular, through the lives and examples of the Saints and it must require travelers to take those footsteps themselves, each traveler must seek to move through place to God. From this perspective, pilgrimage is an image of prayer, it seeks to turn the body, the footsteps, the act of every traveler into the image of prayer.
The modern country is the geographic center of many of the events of the bible and early church. It is in in Turkey that Abraham circumcised Isaac, that Jacob wrestled the angel, that Paul and Peter founded the church of Antioch, that Byzantine Christianity thrived for more than thousand years, and to this day it is the home of the Armenian Apostolic tradition, the Assyrian church, and it is the only county where Aramaic, the language of Christ, is still spoken.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
