Biblical city
Philadelphia
Alaşehir, Türkiye · Roman Asia Minor
Founded on a fertile but earthquake-prone plain, Philadelphia was a small city with modest strength. Revelation 3:7-13 praises its church for keeping Christ's word and promises an open door no one can shut. Fragments of a Byzantine basilica remain in modern Alaşehir.
Artist's reconstruction of Philadelphia in Lydia as a walled Roman-era city with agora, temples, theatre and surrounding vineyards. Not an archaeological photograph.
User-provided artwork; creator credit not supplied.
History in Scripture
Revelation 3 gives this church an open door no one can shut, commending its small strength and faithfulness and promising to keep it through trial.
The ancient city
Founded to spread Greek culture into Anatolia, Philadelphia lay in earthquake country — the region was devastated in AD 17 — which lends force to the promise of being made a permanent pillar.
The site today
Alaşehir in Türkiye preserves the tall brick piers of the Byzantine church of St John amid the modern town.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.