Hierapolis

Where is Hierapolis? The ancient city at Pamukkale, Denizli; named by Paul in Colossians and, by tradition, the burial place of the apostle Philip.

Today
Pamukkale, Denizli
Country
Türkiye
Status
Archaeological site: Hierapolis-Pamukkale (UNESCO World Heritage)
Identification
Certain

Hierapolis was a city famed for its hot springs in the Lycus valley, neighbouring Laodicea and Colossae. It is named only once in the Bible: Paul writes that Epaphras works hard for the believers in Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13), which shows that the gospel reached the valley's three cities together. Early church tradition reports that Philip, one of the twelve apostles, spent the end of his life here and was buried here; Papias, one of the city's early bishops, is remembered among the earliest Christian writers.

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Where is Hierapolis today?

Hierapolis is in Türkiye today, in the Pamukkale district of Denizli, just above the white travertine terraces. The city Paul mentions in Colossians 4:13 is a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Hierapolis-Pamukkale. Visitors see the great theatre, the vast necropolis, the ancient pool and the octagonal Martyrium of St Philip on the hill, built in memory of the apostle Philip, who by tradition was buried here.

Where is the tomb of Philip?

According to early church tradition, the apostle Philip's tomb is at Hierapolis, at Pamukkale. A letter written in the late 2nd century by Polycrates of Ephesus, quoted by Eusebius, says that Philip lies buried in Hierapolis. The Martyrium of St Philip on the hill above the city is dedicated to his memory, and in 2011 the Italian excavation team announced that a structure in a nearby church was believed to be his tomb. The Bible does not say where Philip died, and whether the tradition confused the apostle with Philip the evangelist is debated.

What does the name Hierapolis mean?

Hierapolis means holy city in Greek. The name is usually linked with the city's many temples and its hot springs, which were held sacred. In the Bible Hierapolis appears only in Colossians 4:13, together with Colossae and Laodicea.