Church Of The Apple Tree Goreme

Church Of The Apple Tree

You can enter Elmalı Kilise through a corridor on the left while going to the center of the main churches. It is a typical one of the central domed churches with four pillars, transverse vaults and small and big apses. Ornaments of iconoclastic period can be seen under some of the frescoes whose mortar has been thrown out in some parts.

The subjects of the frescoes are some compositions about the life of Christ which are written in the Bible. The frescoes which can be seen in the church are: the Baptism, the Raising of Lazarus, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, The Betrayal, The Crucifixion and the Transfiguration.

The name of the church probably comes from the apple tree garden outside the main entrance which is now ruined.