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By
the end of the 2nd century a large Christian community had formed in Cappadocia.
It is known that there were two bishoprics at that time; one in Kayseri,
which, for a long time, continued to be a Christian centre in the region
and the other in Malatya.
In the 3rd century, priests with good character changed the region into
a lively centre of Christian activity. In the 4th century Cappadocia became
known as the land of the three saints; St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Kayseri;
his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. George of Nazianzus. These
three men created a new unity in Christian thought, and many of St. Basil's
thoughts and actions are still important today. An example of his
doctrine is the advice to Christian with one piece of bread in a famine.
He said that the Christians should give half of the bread to a fellow believer
and trust in God to take care of him. St. Basil founded small, secluded
settlements not too far away from villages and towns. Daily worship was
carried out under the supervision of a preacher. These groups were not;
however, privileged groups separated from the community like similar communities
in Egypt and Syria. St. Basil is important in that he introduced worship
within the community. He was not at all bigoted.
Goreme Open Air Museum is the place where this kind of religious education
was started. The same model was then introduced in Soganli, Ihlara and
Açiksaray.
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