Monastery of St. Simeon Stylites the Younger

The Monastery of St. Simeon Stylites the Younger (Turkish: Aziz Simon manastır) lies on a hill roughly 29 kilometres (18 miles) southwest of Antakya and six kilometres (3.7 miles) to the east of Samandağ, in the southernmost Turkish province of Hatay. The site is extensive but the monastery buildings are in ruins.[1]

Monastery, showing the remains of St. Simeon's pillar

The monastery commemorates the "pillar saint", Simeon Stylites the Younger (521–597) and marks the last of several pillars on top of which he lived his life. According to one version, he lived on this pillar for the final 45 years of his long life. He preached from the top of it. Miraculous healing were attributed to him and he was venerated as a saint even while he was still alive. Until the thirteenth century the place was a pilgrimage destination.

Within the cruciform monastery site, the ruins of three churches can be seen. The first contains the remnants of mosaics while the second was richly ornamented. The third is more basic and was probably used by monks, The base section of the pillar on which Simeon lived can still be seen, surrounded by an octagonal space.

The monastery gave its name to the nearby settlement of Seleucia Pieria, known today by its Turkish name, Samandağ.