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Traditional Site

Well of St. Paul, Tarsus

WELL of saint PAWL in TAR-sus · Modern Kızılmurat neighborhood, Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey · 36.9192° N, 34.8936° E

Paul described himself as "a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia" (Acts 22:3), and this stone-lined well — roughly 38 meters deep — sits in a courtyard local tradition identifies as the site of Paul's family home. The well itself dates archaeologically to the Roman period, consistent with Paul's lifetime, but its specific identification as Paul's birthplace is a long-standing pilgrimage tradition rather than a verified excavation finding.

Archaeology

The well and surrounding house ruins were uncovered during a rescue excavation in 1999, revealing Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman-period occupation layers at the site. It is jointly listed with the nearby Saint Paul's Church on Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Scholars are honest that while the well's Roman-era date fits the traditional story, the association with Paul's actual household is tradition passed down through local Christian veneration rather than something archaeology can independently confirm.