Aziz Vlas Tomb
Vlas, who is considered to have lived in the Roman city of Sebaste between 280-316 AD is recognized as an Early Christian Bishop and martyr. St. Vlas is among the Early Christians, and due to this, it can be expected that many stories may have accumulated regarding his life story or his deeds. The situation is exactly the opposite. What is known about Aziz's life story is quite limited. The events leading up to his conversion to Christianity and his death are also not known in detail.
The life story of Aziz Vlas, which is repeated in the sources, is briefly as follows: "Vlas, who was born in 280 or 283 as a child of a local wealthy family, became a doctor by getting medical education. In the days when Christianity began to spread, he witnessed their painful lives and accepted Christianity by being impressed. Towards the end of the century, during the struggle between the Christians of Sivas and the Roman rulers, the Bishop of Sivas was killed and the church was left without a ruler. Thereupon, with the common decision of the people, Vlas was elected as the Bishop of Sivas. It is also among the narratives that he resisted accepting the task but could not resist the insistence. After he became a bishop, he went to Kayseri due to the slaughter of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (285-305) and began to lead a monk life in a cave on Mount Erciyes. During the days spent here, the properties heal sick animals. One night, he talks to Jesus in a dream and does not resist the soldiers and is brought to Sivas. It is possible to assume that most of the conversations he had with the soldiers, the public and the governor of Sivas during the period between his capture and his murder were later ascriptions. However, some motifs draw attention in the plot that caused Vlas to be accepted as a saint and to become an important religious leader.
Vlas, who was brought to Sivas, is warned by the ruler to return to polytheistic belief again. Vlas is first hanged from a tree and then tortured to death with iron combs. The dead body belonging to Pikopos Vlas is taken by a woman named Elisia, wrapped in clean fabrics and buried at the bottom of the city wall. It is accepted that these events took place on the third day of February 316. Vlas, the second known Christian Bishop of Sivas, was accepted as a saint at the Council of Lyon convened in 1244. The cult of St. Vlas was officially recognized by the Vatican in 1564.
