St. Nicholas Church, Demre

The church was built in AD 520 on the foundations of an older Christian church where Saint Nicholas had served as a bishop. Justinian I contributed to the reconstruction. It is noted for its remarkable wall frescos, and its architectural and religious significance. Over time the church was flooded and filled with silt. In 1862 it was restored by Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, who added a tower and made other changes to its Byzantine architecture. The church continued to function until its final abandonment by the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1923, when the remaining Ottoman Greeks of Demre were required to leave by the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. ==Archaeological excavations==

Archaeological excavations in the church started in 1988, directed by S. Yıldız Ötüken of Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. The work revealed some of the northern section of the monastery complex, and also the small chapels around the nave, one of which notably contains vibrant frescoes detailing the life and miracles of the saint, and a desecrated sarcophagus which is thought to be the original burial place from which his remains were forcibly translated to Bari in 1087. File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5939.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Exterior File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5895.jpg|St. Nicholas Church from courtyard File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5509.jpg|St. Nicholas Church courtyard from high File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5406.jpg|St. Nicholas Church View to choir File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5421.jpg|St. Nicholas Church at choir File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 7402.jpg|St. Nicholas Church view from choir == Decoration ==

The northeast annex arcade contains the only example of Nicholas's life cycle on ancient frescos in Turkey. File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5477.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5863.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5918.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5919.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5920.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5922.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5923.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5924.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5925.jpg|St. Nicholas Church Fresco File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5917.jpg|St. Nicholas Church corridor with Nicolas frescos == Opus sectile ==

Parts of the church preserve opus sectile decoration. File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5398.jpg|St. Nicholas Church opus sectile File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 5819.jpg|St. Nicholas Church opus sectile File:St. Nicholas Church, Demre 7392.jpg|St. Nicholas Church opus sectile ==Liturgy==

The Orthodox liturgy is occasionally celebrated in the church on 6 December. ==See also==