Thecla (Iconium/Konya, Turkey)

Among the women coworkers of the apostle Paul, one of the most interesting stories is that of Thecla. It is told in the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which was written prior to 190. The wide circulation of the Acts of Paul and Thecla during the early church tells us that she was honored as a Christian saint.

The story of the Acts of Paul and Thecla begins in the ministry context of the apostle Paul’s first
missionary journey and includes the cities of Iconium (modern Konya), Pisidian Antioch (modern Yalvaç),

Myra (modern Demre), and Seleucia (modern Silifke). Seleucia is the site of Thecla’s burial, which became a vibrant center for early Christian pilgrim. Macrina the Younger, the older sister of Basil the Great, was secretly named Thecla at her birth. A mountain peak located behind Iconium is today known as the peak of Thecla, and Ephesus’ cave Church of Paul has a well-preserved fresco of Paul and Thecla side by side.