There is doubt about whether Paul the Apostle actually visited Caesarea Mazaca, and for that matter Tavium, Ancyra, or Pessinus either. The towns are not named in the New Testament but are included in some of the books about Paul’s journeys on the strength of the reference to his journeys through Galatla and on to Phrygia. These towns were important at the time, but it seems more likely that his visits were to the places named in the southern part of Galatia such as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
However, Caesarea Mazaca was an early Christian center. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea from 329 to 379 A.D., was one of the outstanding early church leaders. A scholar, a philanthropist, a reformer, a man of practical sense and spiritual insight, he interpreted the Christian message with a force and directness that continues to
Influence the church today. St. Basil is credited with having built a church and monastery north of the city where the poor and sick were cared for. During the sixth century Justinian rebuilt the city walls, most of which are still standing. By the eleventh century there was a large Armenian colony settled nearby.
Caesarea Mazaca (Kayseri),
The city of Kayseri, once called Caeserea, has an important place in the history of the Armenian Church.
Kayseri was where St. Gregory the Illuminator grew up, was educated, and became a Christian.
After his conversion of Trdat, king of Armenia, to Christianity in the early part of the 4th century, it was to Kayseri that St. Gregory returned to be formally ordained as a priest, and until the year 373 all the early catholicos of Armenia were consecrated in Kayseri.
Kayseri Surp Krikor Lusavoric Founded in 1191.
Mixing Seljuk tombs, mosques and modern developments, Kayseri is both Turkey’s most Islamic city after Konya and one of the economic powerhouses nicknamed the ‘Anatolian tigers’. Colourful silk headscarfs are piled in the bazaar, one of the country’s biggest, and businesses shut down at noon on Friday, but Kayseri’s religious leanings are less prominent than its manufacturing prowess.
The city’s residents, overlooked and inspired by Erciyes Daği, are confident of its future and proud of its past. With no need to rely on the tourism game for their income, Kayseri’s people are often less approachable than folk in Göreme et al, and this can be frustrating and jarring if you arrive fresh from the fairy chimneys. However, if you are passing through this transport hub, it’s worth taking a look at a Turkish boom town with a strong sense of its own history.