Tarsus
Cidade natal do Apóstolo Paulo – "não sou cidadão de cidade insignificante" (At 21,39)
Por que este destino é importante
Tarso, hoje uma modesta cidade provincial turca, foi outrora capital da Cilícia e importante centro universitário do mundo helenístico. Aqui nasceu Saulo de Tarso, o Apóstolo Paulo, que se orgulhava de sua cidadania (At 21,39).
O Poço de Paulo, venerado tradicionalmente como local do batismo do Apóstolo, e a suposta casa natal de Paulo são os principais locais de peregrinação.
Principais locais para visitar
Saint Paul's Well
30-metre-deep Roman well preserved on the traditional site of Paul's family home. Free entry; small donation appreciated.
Saint Paul's Memorial Church / Museum
1862 Catholic-built church (formerly Armenian), reopened as a museum-cum-occasional-pilgrim-church in 2001. Mass occasionally celebrated with permission.
Preserved Roman Road
Excavated section of the original basalt-paved Roman road that Paul would have walked.
Cleopatra's Gate
Triple-arched Roman gate where Antony and Cleopatra are said to have met in 41 BC.
Eski Cami
Former cathedral church of Tarsus, now a mosque; structurally largely Byzantine.
Tarsus Archaeology Museum
Compact museum with Roman and Byzantine finds.
Melhor época para visitar
Março–maio e outubro–novembro. Verão muito quente e úmido.
Principais dias de festa
- 29 June - Saints Peter and Paul
Como chegar
Aeroporto de Adana (ADA), 40 km. Ônibus e trens diretos de Adana.
Onde se hospedar
Hotéis simples em Tarso. Adana (40 km) oferece mais opções e melhor conectividade.
Tours e experiências
Tarso é frequentemente visitado como parte do Roteiro Paulino, combinado com Antakya e a Capadócia. Operadoras especializadas em viagens bíblicas oferecem passeios de vários dias pela Turquia.
Practical information
- Hours
- Saint Paul's Well 08:30-17:30; Memorial Church 08:30-17:30; Roman Road open access.
- Fees
- Approximate 2026 - verify on muze.gov.tr. Saint Paul's Well ~3 EUR; Memorial Church ~5 EUR; museum ~3 EUR. Museum Pass Turkiye usually valid.
- Dress code
- Modest dress at the church and at the Eski Cami mosque.
- Accessibility
- Mostly flat city-centre walking; the Roman Road and Cleopatra's Gate are within 1 km of each other.
Dicas para peregrinos
💡 Dicas para peregrinos
- Tarsus is comfortably visited as a half-day excursion from Adana (40 km, 50 minutes by highway). Most pilgrim groups combine Tarsus with the Adana Roman Bridge and the Sabanci Central Mosque visits.
- The Saint Paul's Well (Saint Paul Kuyusu) is the principal focal point — a 1st-century Roman well in the courtyard of the family home traditionally identified as Paul's birthplace. Pilgrims drink from the well and fill bottles to carry home.
- The Saint Paul Memorial Church (a converted Armenian church, now a museum and Catholic Mass venue by appointment) is the only church building in Tarsus where Catholic and Protestant pilgrims can hold a service — arrange via the Latin Catholic Vicariate of Anatolia.
- Avoid mid-July to mid-August: Tarsus reaches 38°C and is sweltering and humid. April-May and October are by far the best months.
- Tarsus has limited tourist infrastructure — eat lunch in Adana or Mersin rather than relying on Tarsus restaurants. The town's main income is agricultural, not tourism.
- The Cleopatra's Gate (Kleopatra Kapisi) commemorates Mark Antony and Cleopatra's 41 BC meeting at Tarsus. Paul, born around 5 AD, would have walked through this gate as a child.
Você sabia?
ℹ️ Você sabia?
- Tarsus was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia and home to a celebrated school of philosophy that rivalled Athens and Alexandria. Paul's claim 'I am a citizen of no mean city' (Acts 21:39) was justified — Tarsus had a university tradition centuries old.
- Paul learned tent-making here (Acts 18:3) — the local industry was 'cilicium', a goat-hair cloth used for tents and military equipment. The technical skill provided his self-financing during the missionary journeys.
- Three Roman figures of note visited Tarsus: Julius Caesar in 47 BC, Cicero as proconsul in 51 BC, and Mark Antony with Cleopatra in 41 BC. Paul's Tarsus was at the centre of late-republican imperial geopolitics.
- Saint Paul's Well water has been continuously consumed by Christian pilgrims since the late Roman period. Modern water-quality testing (Çukurova University, 2018) confirmed the well is drinkable.
Biblical references
- Acts 9:11 — “And the Lord said unto him, 'Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus.'”
- Acts 9:30 — “When the brethren knew this, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.”
- Acts 11:25 — “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul.”
- Acts 21:39 — “I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city.”
- Acts 22:3 — “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia.”
- Philippians 3:5 — “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
Leitura sugerida antes de partir
| Title / Reference | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Paul: A Biography (N. T. Wright) | The most readable modern biography. Wright opens with Tarsus and Paul's Greco-Roman education — essential context for visiting his birthplace. |
| Acts of the Apostles 9:11-30, 21:39, 22:3 | The Lucan references to Paul's Tarsian origin. Read these passages at the Saint Paul's Well. |
| Paul and the Stoics (Troels Engberg-Pedersen) | The standard scholarly study of how Paul's Tarsian education in Stoic philosophy shaped his Christian theology. Demanding but rewarding. |
Nearby destinations to combine
Antakya / Antioch
Where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26)
Cappadocia
Rock-hewn churches of the Cappadocian Fathers
Demre / Myra
Tomb of Saint Nicholas in 5th-century Byzantine Myra
Incluído nestas rotas
- Footsteps of Saint Paul — Tarsus to Rome - the missionary journeys of the Apostle
- Cradle of Christianity — Antakya - Tarsus - Cappadocia
Frequently asked questions
Names in other languages
| Turkish | Tarsus |
|---|---|
| Greek | Tarsos |
| German | Tarsus |
| Russian | Tars |
| French | Tarse |
| Italian | Tarso |
| Arabic | Tarsus |