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Mersina from the Sea (American Colony photograph, c. 1900-1920)
This early-twentieth-century photograph, catalogued by the Library of Congress as *Mersina. Mersina from the sea*, shows the Mediterranean port of Mersin — rendered "Mersina" in the sources of the period — viewed from the water. It comes from the American Colony Photo Department, whose work later formed the Matson Photograph Collection, and is dated roughly 1900-1920. (Scholarship)
What it shows
The view looks toward the low coastline of Mersin, the working harbour town on the Cilician plain that served as the sea gateway for the region around Tarsus, which lies a short distance inland. In the era of the photograph, Mersin was the growing modern port through which goods and travellers moved between the coast and the interior. (Scholarship) The photograph is a documentary record of that maritime approach, not a depiction of any biblical scene.
History of the collection
The American Colony in Jerusalem ran a photographic department from the late nineteenth century, producing a large archive of views across the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. That archive passed to G. Eric and Edith Matson and eventually to the Library of Congress, which holds it and states that it carries no known restrictions on publication. (Scholarship)
Relevance to Paul and Tarsus
Mersin and Tarsus together form the coastal heart of ancient Cilicia, the region of the Apostle Paul's birth. Paul himself moved by sea repeatedly — Acts records the believers bringing him "down to Caesarea" and sending him "to Tarsus" (Acts 9:30) — and the Cilician coast was his point of contact with the wider Mediterranean. (Scripture) A historic view of the port that serves Tarsus helps set the physical scene of that world.
Mersin and Tarsus are also the twin locations of St Paul Global Week. On 28-30 June 2027, around the 29 June Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, a faith-tourism gathering organised by Funny Tourism will bring pilgrims to both cities. Explore the programme and read why Tarsus.
Provenance
A gelatin-silver or glass-plate view (LC call number LC-M32-1803) from the American Colony Photo Department, later part of the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress. The Library states there are no known restrictions on publication for this collection. The image file digitised here is the Library's own scan.
Credit and source
- Source:
- Library of Congress, American Colony Photo Department / Matson Collection
- Licence:
- Library of Congress: no known restrictions on publication
- Original:
- View the source
Frequently asked questions
What does this photograph show?
It shows the Mediterranean port of Mersin, written 'Mersina' in the period sources, seen from the sea. Mersin is the harbour town on the Cilician plain that serves the inland city of Tarsus.
How old is it and who made it?
It dates to about 1900-1920 and comes from the American Colony Photo Department in Jerusalem, whose archive later became the Matson Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress.
Can the image be published?
Yes. The Library of Congress states there are no known restrictions on publication for the American Colony / Matson Collection, and the image digitised here is the Library's own scan.
St Paul Global Week · 28–30 June 2027
Experience it in person
Gather in the birthplace of the Apostle Paul. An international gathering in Tarsus and Mersin, held around the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, with the Feast Day prayer programme broadcast live worldwide.
Travel and pilgrimage are arranged by Funny Tourism.