Evidence ID
E01970Saint Name
Thekla, follower of Apostle Paul : S00092Saint Name in Source
ܬܩܠܐType of Evidence
Inscriptions - Inscribed architectural elements
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)Evidence not before
400Evidence not after
750Activity not before
400Activity not after
750Place of Evidence - Region
Syria with Phoenicia
Syria with PhoeniciaPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
Hierapolis Euphratensis
QirsaliPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Hierapolis Euphratensis
Thabbora
Thabbora
Qirsali
Thabbora
ThabboraCult activities - Places
Cult building - independent (church)Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Prayer/supplication/invocationSource
The inscription is carved on a column, at mid-height. Dimensions of the column: H. 1.75 m; diameter: 0.42 m. Letter height 0.03-0.06 m.
Seen and copied (photograph, transcription) by Jacques Jarry in 1963 (while he was a member of the 1963 expedition led by Georges Tchalenko), and published in 1967.Discussion
The editor does not comment on the purpose of this inscription but it seems to be a common invocation of the saint. It is possible that the church, where the column was placed, could have been dedicated to this Thekla, and the inscription could commemorate the offering of the column to the sanctuary (cf. E00926: an offering of a column to a church of *Mannis).
The identity of our Thekla is not specified, but she is almost certainly Thekla of Ikonion/Iconium, the follower of the Apostle Paul. The principal sanctuary of this Thekla was situated at Seleukeia/Seleucia in southeast Asia Minor, a region belonging to the Diocese of Orient and connected with north Syria by important trade routes.
For monasteries dedicated to Thekla in Syria, see: Peña 2000, 30, 244-245.Bibliography
Edition:
Jarry, J., “Inscriptions arabes, syriaques et grecques du massif du Bélus en Syrie du nord”, Annales islamologiques 7 (1967), 157, no. 31.
Further reading:
Peña, I., Lieux de pèlerinage en Syrie (Milan: Franciscan Printing Press, 2000), 30, 244-245.