MARTYRIUM SAINT-SIMÉON

The visit begins with a shaded raidillon who leads you to the top of the hill on a large terrace.

On the right is the magnificent facade of the martyrium of the holy man, which is not without mentioning the Romanesque churches that flowered in France from the th century. Its beautiful golden stone and the richness of its decoration make it a masterpiece of Christian art. Its three uneven bays, rich in decoration, have bordeaux leaves that seem to be moving on the wind. The visitor crosses a narthex, crosses the wing of a first basilica to win the centre of the monument where the base of the column was held. It is a large square 2 m apart. A moving relic that is dear to the heart of pilgrims, who will probably accumulate pieces to disperse them throughout the world. The column marks the centre of the martyrium, composed of an entirely original plan of four basilicas forming a cross. The area of the whole is around 4 000 m ², which is considerable. The octagonal courtyard was probably originally covered with a dome that would not have survived the earthquake of 528. On the right, the eastern wing is the largest. Its apse, flanked by two absidioles, was reserved for worship, the other wings used to wanderings the crowd of pilgrims. The western wing has a terrace from where the view spans the Aafrine valley, the Turkish foothills of the Amanus and the Montagnes Dag mountains. The exterior tower of the martyrium allows you to visit a mortuary chapel against the northern rampart built by the Byzantine, and especially the magnificent bedside of the eastern wing, adorned with two layers of superimposed skid that today litter the ground. The whole martyrium was completed around 490.

Slightly later, the monastery, on the right of the main entrance, owned a chapel, a chapel, monastic buildings and a hotel.

In front of the martyrium, through the large esplanade, the baptistery was reached, which allowed the formaliser of the conversions recorded during pilgrimages.

The heart of the square building is a little octagon. A basilica was adjacent to its southern flank.

A little west opened the processionnelle path that allowed pilgrims to win the martyrium from Deir Samaan, their place of residence.

Smart Council: for photo lovers, the sunset gives a very beautiful orange orange appearance to the ruins of Saint-Siméon. However, we must ensure that the sunset time is in keeping with the time of closure of the site!

Finally, in the spring, the snow-capped summits on the Turkish border can sometimes be seen by standing on the side of the western terrace. Two beautiful scenes not to be missed where possible.