Geosite 14. Çavuşini Old settlement and Church of John the Baptist
Çavusin hosts a history that has survived from the Roman period to the present day, where it is possible to observe layer by layer like the mourning rings of the tree. Dervishes who tried to spread Christianity in the surrounding areas during the Roman period created places to hide by carving the rocks in the Çavusin region to escape from the Roman soldiers. Thus, life began in Çavusin village. Although the people tried to make a living by cultivating the land, they built a small gully called pigeon houses in one corner of the houses they carved into the rocks because the soil was so infertile
and they made their living by using pigeon manure. In the Byzantine period, the people began to say that they had adopted Christianity without fear. The population consisted mostly of Christians. After the Seljuk Turks set foot in Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Turks settled in the region and lived in harmony with the Christians. On the one hand, caravanserais, mosques, and tombs were built in the village, and on the other hand, worship continued in peace in the monastery built during the Byzantine period.
This village is known as the haven of churches. John the Baptist church, which was built on a high slope at the entrance of the Çavuşin village. It is the oldest church in the region and was probably built in the 5th century (since it was painted). Its large courtyard, which is not seen much in Cappadocia, has been destroyed in recent years as a result of rock-falls. Ancient settlements in the old Çavuşin valley were where Christian dervishes and communities lived.