A view through the window of room 12.

Rooms 11-12-13 were part of the 6th century church, built in 520 AD to honor Saint Nicholas and to contain his tomb; it was erected on top of the foundations of the older Christian church where Nicholas served as bishop in the 4th century.

Note the peculiar form of the short pillars, a type often used in Early Byzantine religious architecture of the 5th-6th century AD. Other specimen can be seen for example in Binbirkilise (33 km North of Karaman) in church n° 1 (in Madenşehir) and church n° 31 (in Degile) and in the western church at Alahan (in the south wall, and in the apse). The Seljuk reused (in the 12th century) some 20 pieces of them as decoration in the main facade of the Alâattin Camii in Konya.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: Website of ‘stnicholascenter.org’ & Personal visits (1985-1989-2006) .