St. Philip the Apostle's Tomb discovered in Turkey's Denizli

[CENTRO ANTI-BLASFEMIA]

St. Philip the Apostle's Tomb discovered in Turkey's Denizli

8-11-2011

News text adapted from story
published at worldbulletin.net





Italian archeologist Francesco D'Andria has announced that his team
recently discovered the tomb of St. Philip the Apostle in the remains
of a Byzantine era church during an excavation in the ancient city of
Hierapolis. D’Andria said the structure of the tomb and its engravings
proved that it belonged to St. Philip the Apostle, who is recognized
as a martyr in the history of Christianity.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the feast day of the Apostles Philip and
James (the Just, or Lesser) is traditionally observed on May 11th. St
John’s Gospel describes Philip as a disciple of Jesus from Bethsaida
and connects him to the Andrew and Peter, who were from the same town.
It tells also how Philip introduced Nathaniel to Jesus. His two most
notable appearances in the narrative are 1) as a link to the Greek-
speaking Jewish community when Philip introduces members of this
community to Jesus; and 2) during the Last Supper when he asked Jesus
to see the Father, providing Christ the opportunity to teach about the
unity of the Father and the Son. St. Philip is always listed fifth
among the Apostles.

Later stories about St. Philip's life can be found in the anonymous
Acts of Philip, probably written by a contemporary of Eusebius. This
non-Scriptural book recounts the preaching and miracles of Philip.
Following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip was sent with his sister
Mariamne and the Apostle St. Bartholomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia,
and Syria. According to this account, through a miraculous healing and
his preaching Philip converted the wife of the proconsul of the city.
This enraged the proconsul, and he had Philip, Bartholomew, and
Mariamne all tortured. Philip and Bartholomew were then crucified
upside-down, and Philip preached from his cross. As a result of
Philip's preaching, the crowd released Bartholomew from his cross, but
Philip insisted that they not release him, and he died upon the cross.

D’Andria has been the director of excavations in the area for 32
years, and he told the Dogan News Agency, “Until recently, we thought
the grave of St. Philip was on Martyrs’ Hill, but we discovered no
traces of him in the geophysical research conducted in that area. A
month ago, we discovered the remnants of an unknown church, 40 meters
away from the St. Philip Church on Martyrs’ Hill. And in that church
we discovered the grave of St. Philip.” So far, the grave has not been
opened, but the team plans to do so in due time.

Part of the skull of St. Philip is kept in a gold and silver-plated
case shaped like a pyramid. The authenticity of the skull is witnessed
by the seals of the Byzantine Emperors Theodosius the Great and
Heraclius. The Holy Relic of Orthodoxy was kept in Constantinople
until July 31, 1204, when after the city's capture by the Franks, it
was transferred for safekeeping to Omodos, Cyprus where it remains
today. At some point, the body of St. Philip was transferred to
Basilica of the Most Holy Twelve Apostles in Rome and entombed in an
altar with the body of St. James the Lesser; thus why their feasts are
observed simultaneously in the Latin Church.

D’Andria told Dogan News Agency, “St. Philip is considered a martyr.
In fact, the church built in his name on the Martyrs’ Hill is, for
this reason, also called Martyrion, despite the fact there were no
traces of the grave of St. Philip. As we were excavating this new
church discovered a month ago, we finally found the grave. With close
examination, we determined that the grave had been removed from its
previous location in the St. Philip Church to this new church in the
fifth century, during the Byzantine era. We are extremely happy and
proud to have discovered the grave of a saint whose name appears in
the Bible—this surely is an important discovery for religious tourism,
archaeology and Christendom.”

With the discovery, it is expected that Hierapolis, which means
“sacred city,” may become a Christian pilgrimage place and tourist
destination. It is located beside Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage
site.
click images to enlarge


Excavation of the discovered
church and tomb progresses

Dr. D'Andria proudly poses in front of the discovered (and still
blocked up) tomb of St. Philip in Hierapolis

An aerial view of the church erected over the original location of St.
Philip's tomb in Hierapolis, called the Martyrion (situated on Martyrs
Hill)

A view of the remains of the Martyrion, a Byzantine architectural
marvel. These stone piers formed the arches of the dome and also acted
as enclosures for side chapels

A visual reconstruction of the Martyrion; surrounding the octagon-
shaped church, the square portico had rooms for the many pilgrims that
once came to the tomb of the Apostle, St. Philip

The pyramid-shaped reliquary containing the fragment of St. Philip's
skull (which can be seen in the opening) at Omodos, Cyprus

The crypt chapel of the Holy Apostles Sts. Philip and James in the
Roman Basilica of the Most Holy Twelve Apostles; looking through the
brass grille...

...this altar containing the apostle's remains can be seen


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