Bilecik Province
Bilecik Province () is a province in midwest Turkey, neighboring Bursa to the west, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north, Bolu to the east, Eskişehir to the southeast and Kütahya to the south. Its area is 4,179 km2, and its population is ...
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is the seat of Osmaneli Districtİlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. and has a population of 16,192 (2021). Its neighbours are Pamukova from north,
Geyve
Geyve is a municipality and district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 662 km2, and its population is 50,799 (2022). The closest international airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, from Geyve. It is the largest d ...
Bilecik
Bilecik is a city in northwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Bilecik Province and Bilecik District.Yenişehir from south-west and
İznik
İznik () is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2, and its population 44,236 (2022). The town is at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile ...
from west.
Situated on a hillside at a point where the Karasu, flowing down from Kandilli Dağ, enters the
Sakarya River
The Sakarya (; ; ; ) is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as Phrygia. It was considered one of the principal rivers of Asia Minor (Anatolia) in Greek classical antiquity, and is mentioned in th ...
, this small town was known in antiquity as Leukai and more recently as Lefke. South of the town is a narrow and very beautiful river gorge with rocky walls up to 100 m/328 ft high, contributing to some spectacular scenery.
History
Leukai was a town located on the road from
Nicaea
Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...
to
Dorylaion
Dorylaeum or Dorylaion (; ) was an ancient city in Anatolia. It is now an archaeological site located near the city of Eskişehir, Turkey.
Its original location was about 10 km southwest of Eskişehir, at a place now known as Karaca Hisar ...
and thus part of both the Byzantine Military Road and the Pilgrim's Road, the land route taken typically by
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
pilgrims to the
Holy Land
The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
. The town was then conquered from the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
by the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
Anatolian Greeks
The Asia Minor Greeks (), also known as Asiatic Greeks or Anatolian Greeks, make up the ethnic Greek populations who lived in Asia Minor from the 13th century BC as a result of Greek colonization, up until the forceful population exchange between ...
) lived here together until the
War of Independence
Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
after which also the name of the town was changed from Lefke to Osmaneli.
Places to see
In the west part of Osmaneli is the well-preserved ruins of a large Rum Orthodox church of the 1890s not far from it, a building that was used as a silk-spinning mill, and also the owner's house. There are several Ottoman-style homes available and watermelon festivals each year being celebrated, which is also worth seeing.
The only structure in Osmaneli left from such Rums, was a church, named Hagios Georgios (i.e.
Saint George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
, turk. Aya Yorgi), located on Cumhuriyet Avenue. It is understood from the archived documents that this 19th-century structure had passed through several different construction cycles. It is written in detail in those documents that the first structure had a basilica type crushed wooden roof, and following the privileges granted to Greek people as a result of Royal Edict of Reform, the current plan was implemented. This plan, in the shape of a
Greek cross
The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...
, currently does not have the top cover. The most remarkable point of the structure is the towers on both sides of the entrance, on the western side. These towers, covered with small domes, are used not only for climbing to the second floor but also as bell tower. Such type of twin towers at western sides of the buildings is common until the first years following Christ. These towers, which can also be seen in early Byzantium era churches, have also been integral parts of Romanic, Gothic, and Baroque cathedrals in European architecture since the days of the Carolingian Empire. It is also possible to see in Greek churches of the 19th century located in Istanbul and Anatolia during the Ottoman Empire that such towers were being used for the same functions and in the same shapes as they were being used in Europe. The most beautiful representative of this trend is this Greek Church in Osmaneli.Osmaneli’ndeki Bir Rum Kilisesi’nin Düşündürdükleri Hatice Özyurt Özcan, October 2007.