Sirince Village Tour

Sirince Village Tour

The village of Sirince is on the outskirts of Selcuk and is situated just 7 km away from Izmir. Sirince lies on a plain, surrounded by mountains, behind a breathtaking valley.

In and around the village there are remnants of 42 churches and monasteries, this is why Sirince is often named as Ephesus in the mountains. Sirince is one of Izmir’s Government Protected Areas (G. R. A) and so most original Authentic buildings, especially the two churches in the center of the town, are well preserved.

Throughout April and May, it is really fun to walk around in Sirince. In 431 AC, it was claimed the Virgin Mary was buried in Sirince during the 3rd General Conference on the Principles of Christianity.

During the meeting, they presented a theory, which supported that the Virgin Mary was the Mother, or the human Jesus Christ. The Patriarch of Istanbul, Nestorius, spoke of the thesis and ardently supported it in Istanbul. The Emperor Théodosius demanded to have another meeting in Ephesus as this sparked tremendous tumult.

This meeting was witnessed by 200 other spiritual leaders and by the Patriarch of Istanbul, Nestorius, Patriarch of Alexandria, Anthiokheia, Patriarch Jean, the Ephesus delegate and the Pope. At the meeting, it was confirmed and documented that the Virgin Mary was believed to be buried in Ephesus for the first time.

The house on the Nightingale Mountain found in the Selcuk boards was known as the last resting house for Virgin Mary. St. Jean took Virgin Mary 4 to 6 years after Jesus Christ’s burial, and for a brief time they were living in a house close to the Remains of Council Church (Virgin Mary’s Church).

During the spread of Christianity, Virgin Mary was hiding in the Nightingale Mountain and her followers in Sirince continued and gave her food and clothing secretly. Once she died, her followers brought her body into a Sirince cave, placed her there, and covered the cave’s entrance with rocks. It is believed that a part of the Bible on Antelope Leather written by St. Jean was left in the cave.

Today the Sirince architectural style belongs to the Greeks of Anatolia. All the houses in the hill with their white paints are completely original. There is a clear view on the slopes of the mountains. At the beginning of the village is a pleasant view and the streets are indeed breathtaking. Sirince is very famous for its architectural design, houses, streets and villagers’ apple-wine. In 1922, the Anatolian Greeks moved to Greece and Turks coming from Greece settled in Sirince.

Included:

• Pick up transfer from your hotel in Kusadasi or hotel in Selcuk at around 9:00am
• All entrance fees
• Transportation in a fully air-conditioned, non-smoking coach
• Professional English-speaking tour guide
• Return transfer to your hotel at around 4:00pm