[1]The church and chapel lie immediately below a flat field
This church is surprisingly close to the main road through Balkaya. Entering from the west, there is a cleared area to the right of the road that is used for stacking wood from the surrounding coppiced forests before it is built into the charcoal-burning structures so common in the area. At the edge of this area is the church (41.611555404242, 27.954430482701), once used to shelter animals but now clear of debris and looking quite spectacular, as rock churches go.
[2]The church and chapel are clearly part of the same structure
It consists of a main church and a slightly smaller chapel separated from the larger nave by a wall about 60cm thick. The complex was cut from the rock in early Byzantine times but the roof fell in long ago. The well-defined main apse is distinguished by a triplet of small, shallow niches above the narrow sill about 50cm above current ground level.
[3]Apse of main church
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A small doorway leads through the north wall to the chapel which has a very distinctive Maltese cross in relief in the semidome of the apse. There are some interesting features in the bottom of the centre of this apse – two supports, apparently for an altar, and a rudimentary face cut into the rock.
[6]Chapel
[7]Maltese cross in chapel
[8]Details at the bottom of the apse in the chapel
It’s a weird feeling being here. It must have been the centre of Isolationist Monk Central 1000 years ago. They chose a nice place with rich farmland, productive forest and fresh water not far away. There are a few tombs cut into the limestone nearby and the ground is littered with broken earthenware.
[9]View out of the chapel
[10]The chapel and church from ground level
Civelik, E. (2017) Balkaya Kayaya Oyma Kilise 1. Kırklareli Kültür Varlıkları Envanteri. Available online at: http://www.kirklarelienvanteri.gov.tr/anitlar.php?id=86 [11] Accessed 24th Jan 2017
Tanindi, O, Kurt, Ö. et al (2009): Archaeological Destruction in Turkey, Preliminary Report – Marmara Region Byzantine Period, TAY Project – Scientific Reports Series 16/Eng, Istanbul. Partially available at: http://www.tayproject.org/dosyabizmareng.html [12]
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