Μοψουεστία | |
 Roman bridge in Misis-Mopsuestia over thePyramus | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Mopsos, Seleucia on the Pyramus, Hadriana, Decia, al-Maṣṣīṣah, Mamistra, Misis, Yakapınar |
|---|---|
| Location | Adana Province,Turkey |
| Region | Cilicia |
| Coordinates | 36°57′28″N35°37′26″E / 36.95778°N 35.62389°E /36.95778; 35.62389 |
| Type | Settlement |
Mopsuestia (Ancient Greek:Μοψουεστία and Μόψου ἑστία,romanized: Mopsou(h)estia and ΜόψουMopsou and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος;Byzantine Greek:Mamista,Manistra,Mampsista; Arabic:al-Maṣṣīṣah; Armenian:Msis,Mises,Mam(u)estia; modernYakapınar) is an ancient city inCilicia Campestris on the Pyramus River (now theCeyhan River) located approximately 20 km (12 mi) east of ancient Antiochia inCilicia (present-dayAdana, southernTurkey). From the city's harbor, the river is navigable to theMediterranean Sea, a distance of over 40 km (24 mi).
The 1879 bookA Latin Dictionary, the 1898 bookDictionary of Classical Antiquities, the 1913Catholic Encyclopedia and the 1920La Cilicie mention that the city at that time was called Missis or Messis,[1][2][3][4] but in 1960 the name changed to Yakapınar.[5]
The founding of this city is attributed to the seerMopsus,[6][7] from whom the city also took its name,[8] who lived before theTrojan War, although it is scarcely mentioned before theChristian era. The name has been glossed asΜόψου ἑστία, "The house (hestia) of Mopsus".Pliny the Elder calls it the free city of Mopsos (Hist. nat., V, 22), but the ordinary name is Mopsuestia, as found inStephanus of Byzantium and all the Christian geographers and chroniclers. Under theSeleucid Empire, the city took the name of Seleucia on the Pyramus (classical Greek: Σελεύκεια πρὸς τὸν Πύραμον,Seleukeia pros ton Pyramon;Latin:Seleucia ad Pyramum), but gave it up at the time of theRoman conquest. Coins and inscriptions show that underHadrian it was called Hadriana, underDecius Decia, and so forth.Constantius II built there a magnificent bridge over the Pyramus (Malalas,Chronographia, XIII; P.G., XCVII, 488) afterwards restored byJustinian (Procopius,De Edificiis, V. 5) and has been restored again recently.
Near the city a battle between theAntiochus X Eusebes, son ofAntiochus IX Cyzicenus, andSeleucus VI Epiphanes was fought. Antiochus won and Seleucus took shelter in Mopsuestia, but the citizens of Mopsuestia killed him. His brothersAntiochus XI andPhilip I destroyed Mopsuestia as an act of revenge and their armies fought those of Antiochus X, but they lost.[9]
Christianity seems to have been introduced very early into Mopsuestia, and during the 3rd century, there is mention of a bishop, Theodorus, the adversary ofPaul of Samosata. Other famous residents of the early Christian period in the city's history includeSaint Auxentius (d. 360), andTheodore,bishop from 392–428, the teacher ofNestorius. The bishopric is included in theCatholic Church's list oftitular sees.[10] Along with much of Cilicia, the region was wrested from Roman control by the Arabs in the late 630s.
In 684 the EmperorConstantine IV recaptured Misis from its small Arab garrison and it remained an imperial possession until 703 (Theophanes, "Chronogr.", A. M. 6178, 6193), when it was recaptured by the Arabs, who rebuilt the fortifications, constructed a mosque, and maintained a permanent garrison.[11] Because of its position on the frontier, the city was repeatedly fought over and was recaptured from time to time by theByzantines: it was besieged in vain by the Byzantine troops ofJohn I Tzimisces in 964, but was taken the following year after a long and difficult siege byNicephorus Phocas.[12]
Mopsuestia then numbered 200,000 inhabitants, some of whom were Muslim, and the Byzantines made efforts to re-Christianize the city. In the early 1090s, Turkish forces overran the town, but were expelled in 1097 byCrusader troops underTancred who took possession of the city and its strategic port, which were annexed to thePrincipality of Antioch. It suffered much from the internecine war between Crusaders, Armenians, and Greeks who lost it and recaptured it, notably in 1106, 1132, and 1137. Finally, in 1151–1152 the Armenian Baron T'oros II captured the city and defeated the Greek counterattack led byAndronikos I Komnenos. Thereafter it remained a possession of theArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia, but was briefly captured and plundered by the Mamluks in 1266, 1275, and 1322. The Venetians and Genoese were licensed by the Armenians to maintain warehouses near the harbor to store goods brought from India. The Armenians were permanently evicted by the Mamluks in 1347.[11] The city was the site of several church councils and possessed four Armenian churches; theGreekdiocese still existed at the beginning of the fourteenth century (Le Quien,Oriens Christianus, II, 1002). In 1432 theFrenchmanBertrandon reported that the city was ruled by theMuslims and was largely destroyed. In 1515 Mopsuestia, and the whole of Cilicia was incorporated into theOttoman Empire by SultanSelim I. Since then it has steadily declined and became the small village ofMisis. Misis was renamedYakapınar in the 1960s. Only fragments of the medieval fortifications survive today. However, an etching of the circuit walls and towers was made in the mid-19th century.[13] TheMisis Mosaic Museum was founded in 1959 to exhibit the mosaics found in the area, including the famous "Samson Mosaic".
Victor Langlois wrote that he found a beautiful Greek inscription at the city and while he was trying to move it to France, the inscription fell in thePyramus River.[14]
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Vailhé, Siméon (1911). "Mopsuestia".Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10.