Images The pillar of Saint Simeon The basilica of Saint Simeon

The complex of Saint Simeon was probably built by emperor Zenon. The construction probably took place around 474, some years after saint Simeon’s death in 459 A.D.; the first buildings were the baptistery and the cruciform martyrium, but some buildings already existed even when Simeon was alive. Women were not allowed to enter the Martyrium church, they could only stand next to the northern gates, as the custom was in Greece and Syria at that time.