Cilicia

CILICIA. - A vast region in the south-eastern corner of Asia Minor. The long Taurus chain with its high peak Bulgar Dağ (3500 m.) separates it to the north from Isauria, Lycaonia and Cappadocia; Mount Amanus (1700 m.) to the east from Commagene and Syria; the Mediterranean Sea bounds it to the south and, to the west, from Pamphylia.

Its borders fluctuated in the course of its history, but they were always determined to the north by the Anti-Taurus the "Cilician Gates" pass (Gülek Boğaz, 1000 m.); to the west the important watercourse, which the ancients called Melas (modern Manavgat Cay [Pliny, Nat. Hist., V, 93]); to the east the "Syrian Gates" (Belan pass, 670 m.) on Mount Amanus.

Geologically it was divided into two districts: flat C. (C. Campestris), which between the Taurus chain and the sea extended eastward as far as Mount Amanus and westward as far as the city of Soli (famed for the solecisms of its language, whence "solecisms"); and mountainous C. (C. Aspera), which extended westward from Soli to Pamphylia. Poor in watercourses, only the Calycadnus (= Gôla Su), where Frederick Barbarossa met his death, forms the most important basin, traversing the region from north-west to south-east, rich in varied and luxuriant vegetation. The name of C. appears in Egyptian documents in the form Hlk and in Assyrian documents as Eliakku.

C. was subject to the Assyrians, the Hittites, and the Persians, who constituted it as the Vth satrapy (Herodotus, I, 74; III, 90). According to the same writer (I, 74) the kings of the Cilician states were called Svennenes (it is not known whether this was a proper or a common name).

The region was renowned for horse-breeding, and Solomon imported numerous horses from Coa (eastern C.) and from Musur (I Kings 10, 28). The Greeks had colonies on the coast, but Hellenization, begun after the conquest of Alexander the Great, was accentuated under his successors, whose struggles caused the country to depend now on one, now on another, but principally on the Seleucids of Syria. In 103 B.C. it became a zone of Roman influence, and to Mark Antony was assigned the task of suppressing piracy. The generals Metellus, Sulla, Servilius Vatia, on whom was decreed the appellation Isauricus, and finally Pompey succeeded in driving the pirates from their lairs. Cicero was one of the first administrators of the new province with the title of proconsul in 50-51. Augustus united it with the province of Syria.

Numerous Jewish colonies settled in C. in the time of Antiochus (Fl. Josephus, Antiq. Iud., XII, 3, 4). Cilician mercenaries are mentioned in the bodyguard of Alexander Jannaeus (ibid., XIII, 13, 5; Bell. Iud., I, 4, 3); Jews of C. took part in the dispute of Stephen in Jerusalem (Acts 6, 9). During the Roman dominion the most notable event was the birth in Tarsus, the principal city (Acts 21, 39), of St. Paul, who practised the trade common in that region, that is, that of "tent-maker"; from the stiff and thick hair of goats were made fabrics called precisely cilician. The Apostle preached the Gospel there after his first journey to Jerusalem (Gal. 1, 21). The churches of C. were formed not only of Jews, but also of Gentile Christians, to whom was sent the decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15, 23). After his separation from Barnabas, Paul, together with Silas, passing through the "Syrian Gates" went to C. to strengthen the Churches (Acts 15, 21) and then, through the climb of the Taurus to the "Cilician Gates", went to Lycaonia (Acts 15, 41). He passed again along the sea of C. on his journey from Caesarea to Rome (Acts 27, 5).

Donato Baldi

HISTORY AND HAGIOGRAPHY

Dionysius of Alexandria mentions a bishop of Tarsus named Helenus together with the other bishops of the region (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., VI, 46; VII, 5).

At the Council of Nicaea there took part the bishops of Adana, Alexandria Minor, Castabala, Aegea, Epiphania, Flavia, Mopsuestia (toward the end of the 4th century the well-known Theodore [v.] was bishop of this city), Neronia, and Tarsus, that is 9 bishops and a chorepiscopus, thus demonstrating the flourishing state of the Church in Cilicia at the time of Constantine. The two ecclesiastical provinces of Cilicia were subject respectively to Anazarbus and to Tarsus (famous for its bishop Diodore [v.]), and belonged to the patriarchate of Antioch. The Arab conquests of the second half of the 7th century divided Cilicia, gradually destroying there the Christian communities already so troubled by doctrinal dissensions (Melkites and Jacobites).

The most venerated martyrs of Cilicia are: at Anazarbus, Sts. Tarachus, Probus and Andronicus, venerated on 11 October (BHG, nos. 1574-75). A not very reliable Passio assigns to the same city the martyr Marinus (BHG, no. 1171).

At Aegea, a legend known as the Arabic one (BHG, nos. 378-379) mentions a basilica in honor of Sts. Cosmas and Damian.

St. John Chrysostom gives the name of martyr of Cilicia to St. Julian (BHG, no. 967), whom the Jeronymian Martyrology lists on 14 February: in Cilicio Aegeas natale Iuliani.

At Aegea pilgrims went to venerate the tomb of St. Thalelaeus (BHG, nos. 1707-1708), a martyr venerated also at Jerusalem and in Bithynia. There were also venerated there Sts. Zenobius and Zenobia (BHG, nos. 1884-85). But better known than all others of Aegea are the martyrs Claudius, Asterius, Neon, and Domnina (in some documents also Theonilla), whom the Jeronymian Martyrology lists on the 23rd and following days and the synaxaria on 30 October. Auxentius, bishop of Mopsuestia, erected a basilica outside the walls in honor of the martyrs Tarachus, Probus and Andronicus, placing there for veneration their relics, obtained from Anazarbus. Mopsuestia prided itself on possessing the relics of St. Nicetas the Goth.

For Tarsus the most venerated martyrs were Tarachus, Probus and Andronicus (BHG, no. 1574), whom the Jeronymian Martyrology indicates on three dates, of which the traditional one is that of 11 October. In the same city the Greek synaxaria also count the martyrs Quiricus and Julitta.

Remains of Christian basilicas were found at Corycus, Sebaste, Anazarbus, Flaviopolis, Hieropolis, and Castabala.

Enrico Iosi