Saint Paul's Well
Tarsus
- Locality
- Tarsus
- Type of place
- BIBLICAL SITE
- Coordinates
- 36.91915° N, 34.89360° E
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History: Saint Paul's Well
Tarsus was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, and the Acts of the Apostles names it as Paul's home. Paul calls himself "a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city" (Acts 21:39), says he was born there and brought up in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3), and after his conversion he returned to Tarsus, where Barnabas later came to find him.
Saint Paul's Well stands in the old quarter of the city, beside the remains of a house that local tradition identifies as Paul's; both were uncovered in a rescue excavation in 1999, near restored old houses and a stretch of ancient road. The link between the well and Paul is tradition: Acts mentions no well. With Saint Paul's Church, the well is on Türkiye's tentative list for World Heritage, and it is still in use.
An interesting detail
The well is built of cut stone, 1.15 metres across at the top and 38 metres deep, and visitors still draw water from it.