Euchaita

Euchaita (Εὐχάϊτα) was a Byzantine city and diocese in Helenopontus, the Armeniac Theme (northern Asia Minor), and an important stop on the Ancyra-Amasea Roman road.[1]

Euchaita gained prominence during the later Roman and Byzantine periods as a significant cultic center for the veneration of Anatolian saint Theodore Tiron. Between the 7th and 11th centuries, following the early Muslim conquests, it transitioned into a military outpost. However, with the Turkish conquest of Anatolia in the late 11th century, Euchaita's importance diminished.[2] In Ottoman times, Euchaita was mostly depopulated, but there was a remnant village known as Avhat or Avkat.

Today the Turkish village Beyözü, in the Anatolian province of Çorum (in the subprovince of Mecitözü, Turkey), partly lies on the ruins.

  1. ^ J.G.C. Anderson, A Journey of Exploration in Pontus (1903), p. 9.
  2. ^ Haldon, John; Elton, Hugh; Newhard, James (2017-04-14), "Euchaïta", The Archaeology of Byzantine Anatolia, Oxford University Press, pp. 376–388, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190610463.003.0037, retrieved 2024-02-08