The church of St. Basil is located on the eastern slope of the Beyderesi Valley, north of Mustafapaşa, previously known as Vrathes (Greek for “rocky place”). A part of the church, which was closed to visitors in 2012 due to the danger of collapse, was destroyed in 2018 when a part of the structure broke off from the rock and flew towards the valley. It is not known exactly when the church was built, but the dates of 1902 and 1915 were found on the murals in the church. Accordingly, the church can be dated to the beginning of the 20th century at the latest.
St. Basileios church is in the form of a building complex consisting of different sections. The church consists of spaces at different elevations carved into the rock below today’s ground level, on the slope above the valley. In archival sources, the church is mentioned as “Basileios Church, which has a three-storey sanctuary”. The church is located on the middle elevation. The shelter must have been located at the bottom of the elevations that make up the building.
The entrance to the building was provided from the top of the valley, where there was a rectangular door later made of reinforced concrete. There was a landing covered with a barrel vault. From a staircase covered with a barrel vault at the end of the landing, one could access the middle elevation where the church is located. There are two chapels side by side, which were first thought to be chapels. To the southeast of them, there is the Church of St. Basileios with two apses separated by two rows of piers. Sources state that the church was dedicated to three separate saints. Accordingly, the main nave in the middle of the church, which was divided into three parts with monolithic pillars, was dedicated to St. Basil. The nave on the right was dedicated to St. Demetrios, and the one on the left was dedicated to St. Eleutherios/Eleftherios. The main church in the complex was the church of St. Basil.
St. Basil’s Church has a special place among other churches built during the Ottoman period, both in Mustafapaşa and in the region, especially with the murals it contains. Other churches do not have as many and well-preserved paintings as in the Basilian example. Moreover, in the church you can find paintings signed by two of the most important painters of the village. These are Georgiou Iordanidou (with date 1915) and Kostis Meletiadis (with date 1902).
The saint who gave his name to the structure is “Basileios the Great of Kayseri”, the best known among the names known as the “Cappadocian Fathers” and the oldest of the group. It is also stated that the saint was considered a “messenger to convey their prayers to God” by the Greeks of Sinasos. In the village, the names Vasilios and Vasiliki are very common names given to children out of respect for this saint. On January 1, the day of commemoration of St. Vasilios, a long religious ceremony was held in Sinasos, which was held on very special holidays in all the churches of the town.
