Church of St John the Baptist

At the top of the abandoned village cliff sits the Church of St John the Baptist, one of the largest and earliest rock-cut churches in Cappadocia. The interior is a single high vaulted hall hewn from the tuff, with traces of red ochre paintings from successive periods of use.

The climb up is short but steep and requires scrambling over broken stone, so wear sturdy shoes. The reward is both the church itself and the unmatched view from the platform outside, looking across to the Pasabag valley and the snow line of Mount Erciyes in the distance.

things to do sight
A story
The Church of St John the Baptist is one of the very oldest surviving churches in Cappadocia, with construction dating back to the fifth century — possibly the original cathedral of the Byzantine bishopric that once existed at Çavuşin.