Patara
Where is Patara? The Lycian city near Gelemiş, Kaş, Antalya, Türkiye: the port where Paul boarded a ship for Phoenicia on his way to Jerusalem.
- Today
- Gelemiş, Kaş, Antalya
- Country
- Türkiye
- Status
- Archaeological site: ancient Patara
- Identification
- Certain
Patara was one of the most important harbours on the coast of Lycia. The Bible mentions it once: at the end of his third missionary journey, after saying farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul sailed by way of Kos and Rhodes to Patara, where he found a ship crossing to Phoenicia and continued towards Jerusalem (Acts 21:1–2). The earlier stages of that voyage, as far as Miletus, are told in the previous chapter (Acts 20:13–38). According to church tradition, St Nicholas, later bishop of Myra, was born in Patara. Today the site lies in the Kaş district of Antalya.
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Related topics
Related people
- Paul
- Peter
- Barnabas
- Stephen
- Lydia
- Matthew
- Timothy
- John the Apostle
- Philip the Apostle
- Judas Iscariot
- Mark
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Witness
Reading plans
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Books
Places in the Bible
Where is Patara today?
Patara is today in Türkiye, an archaeological site near Gelemiş in the Kaş district of Antalya. Paul changed ships here on his way back to Jerusalem (Acts 21:1–2). The ancient city has a restored assembly hall of the Lycian League, a theatre, a colonnaded street and a Roman-era lighthouse. The long beach beside it is a protected area where sea turtles nest.
Why did Paul come to Patara?
Paul was returning to Jerusalem at the end of his third journey. When the ship reached Patara he found another ship crossing to Phoenicia and boarded it (Acts 21:1–2), so Patara was the port where he changed ships.
Was Santa Claus born in Patara?
According to church tradition, St Nicholas, the figure behind Santa Claus, was born in Patara and later became bishop of nearby Myra. This comes from later church tradition, not from the Bible.