Modern-day Turkey is home to some of the oldest and most sacred foundations of Christianity. Long before the Gospel reached Europe, the message of Christ spread through the lands of Asia Minor, where apostles preached, early churches gathered, and timeless creeds were written.
The Apostle Paul carried the Good News across this region on his missionary journeys. He preached in cities such as Antioch (Antakya), Iconium (Konya), Lystra, Derbe, Ephesus, and Troas—places still alive with the spirit of the New Testament. Many of Paul’s letters, including those to the Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians, were written to believers in what is now Turkey.
It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). From there, the faith spread rapidly through the great cities of Asia Minor. These early congregations—diverse, faithful, and often persecuted—helped shape the foundations of Christian worship and community life.
The city of Nicaea (İznik) became a turning point in Christian history. In 325 AD, Emperor Constantine called the First Council of Nicaea, gathering bishops from across the world. Here, the Church affirmed the divinity of Christ and established the Nicene Creed, a declaration of faith still recited in churches today. Later councils in Ephesus, Chalcedon, and Constantinople (Istanbul) continued to define and strengthen Christian doctrine.
Across Turkey, ancient churches, basilicas, and sacred ruins tell the story of the faith’s first centuries.
The rock-carved churches of Cappadocia
The House of Mary and Basilica of St. John in Ephesus
The Seven Churches of Revelation in western Turkey
Each of these places invites modern pilgrims to walk where the apostles walked and to experience the living legacy of the early Church.
Join us on a journey through the heart of Christian history. Our biblical tours of Turkey bring Scripture to life as you stand in the places where faith began, grew, and changed the world.