Stephanus of Byzantium says that Apollonia in Pisidia (Sozopolis) was originally called
Mordiaeon or
Mordiaïon (Μορδιάιον), and was celebrated for its quinces. The coins of Apollonia record
Alexander the Great as the founder, and also the name of a stream that flowed; by it, the
Hippopharas. Two Greek inscriptions of the Roman period copied by
Francis Arundell give the full title of the town in that age, "the Boule and Demus of the Apolloniatae Lycii Thraces Coloni," by which he concluded that the city was founded by a Thracian colony established in
Lycia, but that conclusion is not universally accepted. The
icon of the
Theotokos of Pisidian Sozopolis, celebrated by
Eastern Orthodox Christians on 3 September, originated in this city. As many other places in the region, the town
venerated especially the
Archangel Michael and had a church dedicated to him. == Bishopric ==