Pinara

Pinara

A titular see in Lycia, suffragan of Myra. Pinara was one of the chief cities of the Lycian confederation. The Lycian hero, Pandarus, was held there in great honour. It was supposed to have been founded by Pinarus, who embarked with the first Cretans. According to another tradition, it was a colony of Kanthus and was first called Artymnessus. As in Lycian Pinara signifies "round hill", the city being built on a hill of this nature would have derived its new name from this fact. It is now the village of Minara or Minareh in the vilayet of Koniah. It contains magnificent ruins: walls, a theatre, an acropolis, sarcophagi and tombs, rare inscriptions (often Lycian), and the remains of a church. Five bishops of Pinara are known: Eustathius, who signed the formula of Acacius of Cæsarea at the Council of Selencia in 359; Heliodorus, who signed the letter from the bishops of Lycia to the Emperor Leo (458); Zenas, present at the Trullan Council (692); Theodore, at the Council of Nicæa (787); Athanasius, at the Photian Council of Constantinople (879).

LE QUIEN, Oriens christ., I, 975; SMITH, Dict, of Greek and Roman geog., s. v.; FELLOWS, Lycia, 139; SPRATT AND FORBES, Travels in Lycia, I, 1 sqq.

S. PÉTRIDÈS.