Patara (Lycian: Pttara), later renamed Arsinoe (Greek: Ἀρσινόη), was a flourishing maritime and commercial city on the south-west coast of Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near the modern small town of Gelemiş, in Antalya Province. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
During the Roman period,
Patara was the judicial seat of the Roman governor, and the city became
the capital of both the Lycian and Pamphylian provinces at one time.
Patara was frequently called "the chosen city" and "the metropolis of the
Lycian nation." This was made apparent from excavations of the 2nd
century BC, in the inscriptions on the monument built in honor of one of
the first general governors, C. Trebonius Proculus Mettius. Around
138 BC Patara had a population of about 20,000 and ranked among the top
cities of Anatolia after Ephesus. Emperor Vespasian visited Patara,
as did the emperor Hadrian and his wife Sabina (exalted by the Patarans to
"new Hera"; both emperors made contributions to the city). (From lycianturkey.com)
In Christian history Patara is famous for
being a place of St. Paul’s missionary work at the end of his third missionary
journey as he changed ships enroute to
Jerusalem. Patara was also the birthplace of
St. Nicholas (born c.260-280 AD), bishop of Myra and
the future Santa Claus.
