The Tomb of Apostle Philip in Hierapolis (Pamukkale)
The New Testament does not give us much information about Apostle Philip. He participated in the miracle of the loaves and fish (John 6:5–9). With Apostle Andrew, he brought word to Jesus that certain Greeks had asked to see him (John 12:21–22). In John 14:8–9, Philip asked Jesus to reveal the Father, and received the answer: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Philip is listed among the twelve apostles in Matthew 10.2-4, Mark 3.14-19 and Luke, 6.13-16. After receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he is said to have traveled to Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, to spread the word about Jesus’ life and teachings.
According to legend, Philip was preaching in Hieropolis together with Bartholomew, and through a prayer he killed a large serpent in a temple devoted to serpent worship. Philip also healed a lot of people of snake bite. The city governor and its pagan priest, angered by their behaviour, had Philip and Bartholomew crucified. While the two disciples were on the crosses, an eathquake knocked everyone to the ground, and Philip prayed for their safety. When people saw the earthquake becoming less intense, they demanded the release of Philip and Bartholomew. Bartholomew survived, but Philip died.
In 2011 the director of excavation in the Ancient city of Hierapolis, Francesco D’Andria, made an exciting new discovery which would make this place of the most Christian significant sites in Turkey. He announced that they had finally found the tomb of the martyred apostle Philip.
The tomb wasn’t discovered at the center of the octagonal hilltop martyrium as expected, but in a newly excavated church about 40 yards away. The team of archaeologists found a 1st century Roman tomb located at the center of the new church, which according to D’Andria, originally contained Philip’s remains. This early church was built around the tomb in the 4th or 5th century, and the nearby martyrium was built probably around the same time.
The remains of the apostle Philip are no longer in the tomb. According to D’Andria, the saint’s relics were very probably moved to Constantinople at the end of the 6th century, and then possibly taken to Rome and placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles, although the reports from the 12th century describe that Philip’s remains were still in Constantinople.
Martyrion of Apostle Philip
This octagonal chuch was built at the beginning of the 5th century. This is probably where, according to tradition, the Apostle was martyred. The building has an eight-sided central room, as a reference to the number eight, symbol of eternity. From each of the eight sides of the room there was access to a rectangular room through three arches supported by marble columns with capitals decorated with acanthus leaves. The church is situated inside a square composed of 28 rooms for housing pilgrims. As in other Byzantine sanctuaries associated with healing powers, in these rooms incubation rites were practised: during sleep, the Saint cured the sick and made prophecies concerning the future.
Tomp of Apostle Philip
The Church of the Sepulchre was built around a tomb from the 1st centrury AD, which was the object of intense veneration. On the façade made of travertine blocks are numerous graffitis and holes made in the Byzantine period to attach metal ornaments. The funerary chamber (3.50m by 4m) has stone benches on three sides on which the corpses were laid. In the central nave, two baths for individual immersions (4th-5th centuries) and two larger pools were discovered. The healing rituals were probably conducted in the sactuary right next to the tomb, as in other Byzantine sanctuaries of Anatolia.