The Church of Saint Theodore the Tiro (Aziz Theodoros Trion kilisesi in Turkish)) is located in Malakopi (today’s Derinkuyu) near the Cappadocian underground city. On the top of the entrance of the church, the inscription says:
“This sacred Church of Saint Theodore of Tiro has been built under the auspice of the Parishah Sultan Abdülmecid Han, with the blessing of Aziz Matropolitan Neophytos of Iconium Efendi and thanks to the donations of the Christian inhabitants of Malakopi, under the direction of the architect Kyriakos Papadopoulos Efendi from Chaldia. The church has been blessed and consecrated to Saint Theodore. Saint Theodore bless the country and protect it from dangers. Amen. Year 1858 May 15.”
This church with its exceptional architecture and decoration as shown in the photographs of the exterior is currently closed for renovations. The interior is decorated with frescoes. Under the porch, one can admire rich decorations based on vegetation, and especially vines, carved in a stone of a light red color, different from the stone which was used in the rest of the building.
“This sacred Church of Saint Theodore of Tiro has been built under the auspice of the Parishah Sultan Abdülmecid Han, with the blessing of Aziz Matropolitan Neophytos of Iconium Efendi and thanks to the donations of the Christian inhabitants of Malakopi, under the direction of the architect Kyriakos Papadopoulos Efendi from Chaldia. The church has been blessed and consecrated to Saint Theodore. Saint Theodore bless the country and protect it from dangers. Amen. Year 1858 May 15.”
This church with its exceptional architecture and decoration as shown in the photographs of the exterior is currently closed for renovations. The interior is decorated with frescoes. Under the porch, one can admire rich decorations based on vegetation, and especially vines, carved in a stone of a light red color, different from the stone which was used in the rest of the building.
