Sealed medieval bronze reliquary discovered in Türkiye –

A rare hermetic relic cross was unearthed at the ancient Lystra site in Konya, central Türkiye. The artifact was found unopened and is currently being cleaned and preserved in its original condition to avoid irreparable damage.

Graves with metal crosses and jewelry were discovered during excavations in the church area. Several reliquaries were among the artifacts found, but they were all broken, opened, or only one survived. The complete bronze relic cross dates from between the 9th and 11th centuries. It consists of two covers permanently riveted together. There are no hinges or mechanisms to open and close it like a locket. The exterior is decorated with a pattern of looped dots and parallel lines.

A reliquary holds the relics of a saint or other sacred artifacts (a piece of the True Cross, a fragment of the Veil of Veronica, etc.) and is worn or carried as a devotional object. The piece has a hanging mechanism at the top, suggesting it was worn as a necklace. When archaeologists looked inside through the gap, they saw a small piece of shroud-like fabric on top. The fabric may be a relic or it may be covered with something else.

Lystra has a very ancient connection with Christianity. In Acts 14:6-18, Paul and Barnabas healed a paralyzed man and were hailed as the incarnations of Hermes and Zeus. The crowd was about to sacrifice a bull to them when the two men tore off their clothes and insisted that they were just men who had come to preach about the one God. Paul visits Lystra again by boat Second missionary journey, this time with Silas, and meeting with the Apostle Timothy before traveling to Macedonia. IWe also have our own native saints. In the 4th century AD, it became the seat of an episcopal see, with Saint Amphilochius of Iconium as its first bishop.

Last year, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a 100-foot-long late antiquity cathedral that was in use until the early Middle Ages. The ceiling and walls are richly decorated with gilded mosaics. Archaeologists believe it was the city’s main church, a majestic cathedral befitting its episcopal seat and one of the centers of early Christianity in central Anatolia. The reliquary cross was discovered during ongoing excavations in this church.