The historical cathedral in Italy carries the traces of Latmos

Drawing attention with its natural landscape and historical texture, Latmos Mountains continues to increase its charm day by day. Traces of Latmos, which enters the route of many citizens every year with its many features, especially prehistoric rock paintings, were seen in the Siena Cathedral in the Tuscany region of Italy. In the ceiling decorations of the cathedral, which was built at the end of the 13th century and is on the World Heritage List, the love between the Goddess Selene and the Shepherd Endymion in Latmos and the mythological story that resulted in Endymion's eternal sleep are told.

Drawing attention to the relationship between the cathedral and the Latmos Mountains, the Ecosystem Conservation and Nature Lovers Association (EKODOSD) President Bahattin Sürücü said, "These ornaments depict the most romantic love of the ancient era and are based on a mythological story about the love between the Goddess Selene and the Shepherd Endymion, which resulted in Endymion's eternal sleep. The story takes place in the Latmos Mountains."

“This story takes place only in the Latmos Mountains”

Stating that there are traces of Latmos in the cathedral, which is visited by millions of tourists every year, EKODOSD President Sürücü said, “The city of Siena is a city in the Tuscany region of Italy, known for its medieval historical and cultural artifacts, visited by millions of tourists. One of the most important buildings of the city is the Siena Cathedral, which was built in the Romanesque and Gothic style at the end of the 13th century. This cathedral in the city, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is famous for its frescoes and paintings. In this historical building, there are priceless works of Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo, the chief architects of the Renaissance, and paintings by Pinturicchio. More than 1 million people visit this building, which is the symbol of Siena, every year. Inside one of the ceiling decorations of the cathedral is a very important mythological story concerning the Latmos Mountains. The sacred meaning attributed to the fascinating natural landscape of the Latmos Mountains is a unique cultural heritage item that also influenced later cultures. The cultural heritage of the Latmos region has directly or indirectly affected the artistic and literary works, beliefs and traditions of Anatolian and European cultures from the prehistoric period to the present. In this mythological story in the picture, the most romantic love of antiquity is told. The mythological story about the love between the Goddess Selene and the Shepherd Endymion, which resulted in Endymion's eternal sleep, takes place in the Latmos Mountains. The mythological love story between Endymion and Selene has been especially reflected in plastic arts since the Archaic Period. This Mythological story is most often depicted in Roman sarcophagi and the eternal sleep of the pensive young man was considered a symbol of immortality. The motif of Endymion falling into eternal sleep has also been continued in the art of the recent period. One of them is a scene from the ceiling painting of the Painter Pinturicchio, found in the 'Biblioteca Piccolimini' in Siena Cathedral. The scene seen in the Roman Period sarcophagus in this painting, is made in the form of a Renaissance painting. In the sarcophagus, Latmos is personified with the sleeping Endymion in the form of a man sitting on a rock above the cave, while the summit of the mountain forms the background for the encounter of the goddess and the young man. Here, the summit is depicted as a large stone as in medieval sources. This mythological story, which symbolizes the love between the handsome young shepherd Endymion and the Moon Goddess Selene, takes place only in the Beşparmak Mountains and cannot be found anywhere."

“We must protect Latmos as a whole”

Sürücü said, “Those who want to live this mythological legend today come to this magnificent geography to watch the lights reflecting on Bafa Lake as the full moon comes out from behind the Beşparmak Mountains and to experience that moment. There is the Endymion sanctuary at the entrance of the ancient city of Herakleia, which is intertwined with the village of Kapıkırı. Many finds were unearthed in the excavations carried out in the sanctuary last year under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Zeliha Gider Büyüközer. However, in the holistic geography of Latmos, where all these stories take place, the mining areas are being expanded and this causes an increase in the destructions. If the destructions continue at this rate, not only the mythological stories, but also the culture that has existed since the prehistoric period, the health of the local people, their income, the biological diversity of the region, wildlife, plants, trees, water, in short, the life in these lands will completely end. The destructions in this unique geography should be stopped as soon as possible, and new permits should not be given for mining activities. Projects should be developed to promote this mountain, which is an open-air museum, to the whole world, for the benefit of local people and our country, by ensuring the protection of the mountain as a whole."