Where it began
Tarsus is the birthplace of St. Paul the Apostle — not a stop along a route, but the very ground where his story started. To walk it is to stand at the source.
Faith Gathering
St Paul Global Week
Tarsus & Mersin · 28–30 June 2027
Celebrate the Feast of St. Paul where St. Paul was born.
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28–30 June 2027
A three-day gathering
Tarsus & Mersin
Cilicia, southern Turkey
Feast of St. Paul
29 June — broadcast live
Open gathering
Pilgrims, partners & guests
28–30 June 2027 · Tarsus & Mersin
Some journeys are not measured in miles
For three days, the world comes to Tarsus — the city that gave the world St. Paul the Apostle. St Paul Global Week is an invitation to walk where a calling first took shape: to pray together, to trace two thousand years of heritage along ancient stone, and to stand, on 29 June, in the place his story began. This is not sightseeing. It is a homecoming to the roots of a faith that travelled the world — a private gathering with all official permissions handled by the organiser, Funny Tourism.
Why Tarsus
The city that shaped an apostle
Long before the journeys, the letters, and the legacy, there was a boy from Tarsus. The wells, gates, and Roman streets that pilgrims walk today are the same ground that formed the man whose words would one day reach every corner of the earth. To come here is to begin where he began.
A story the world shares
From this one ancient city, a message travelled to every continent. Pilgrims come from far away to honour a heritage that, in time, became their own.
Why now
Around the Feast of St. Paul on 29 June, the city opens its gates for three days — a gathering held once, in its proper season, at the very source of the story.
What sets this apart
Many trips visit a place. St Paul Global Week gathers a community — faith travellers, partners, and friends of Tarsus — around a single shared moment in time. It is unhurried, dignified, and rooted in the city itself: real heritage, real welcome, and a Feast Day carried live to those who cannot make the journey in person.
The Real Tarsus
The city, as it truly stands
Photographs of the real Tarsus — its ancient roads, its old town, St. Paul's Well and St. Paul's Church — the places pilgrims will walk during the gathering.
Biblical Foundation
Words that began the story
The journey honoured in Tarsus is recorded in scripture itself — from the city of the apostle's birth to the calling that carried his name across the world. A few of those passages are set down here.
…from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city.Acts 21:39
He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings.Acts 9:15
Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.Acts 13:2
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.2 Timothy 4:7
Paul and Barnabas were recognized in their mission, with James, Cephas and John described as pillars.Galatians 2:9
Heritage & History
The journey that began in Tarsus
From a single city in Cilicia, the apostle's path reached across the ancient world — by road and by sea, from Asia Minor to the heart of the Roman Empire. The route below traces that historic journey, milestone by milestone.
Milestone 1
Tarsus
The birthplace — where the apostle's story began, in the city of his upbringing.
Milestone 2
Antioch
The community that first sent him out, and the city where followers were first called Christians.
Milestone 3
Cyprus
The first island of the mission, crossed from coast to coast.
Milestone 4
Perga
A landing on the southern shore of Asia Minor, gateway to the interior.
Milestone 5
Pisidian Antioch
A highland city where the message reached a wider audience.
Milestone 6
Ephesus
A great Aegean port and one of the longest stays of the journeys.
Milestone 7
Macedonia
The first crossing into Europe — Philippi and Thessalonica among its cities.
Milestone 8
Athens
The intellectual heart of the Greek world, addressed at the Areopagus.
Milestone 9
Corinth
A bustling crossroads city, home to a community he long cared for.
Milestone 10
Jerusalem
The return to the mother city, and the road that led on from there.
Milestone 11
Rome
The capital of the empire — the journey that began in Tarsus reaching the centre of the known world.
Tarsus is the first name on this map — the ground from which a journey set out that would, in time, touch every continent. To gather here is to stand at its beginning.
What to Expect
A week of faith & culture
Across the three days, the gathering brings together prayer, heritage, learning, and culture — a measured programme with something for pilgrims of every age.
Prayer & reflection
A measured prayer programme through the three days, at the heart of the gathering.
Heritage tours
Guided routes through the ancient streets, wells, and gates of Tarsus.
Conferences & academic sessions
Talks and scholarly sessions on the apostle, the city, and its long history.
Art & music
Cultural performances and exhibitions that bring the heritage of Cilicia to life.
Youth & family activities
Gentle, welcoming moments for younger pilgrims and families travelling together.
About the Gathering
The Shape of the Week
Three days, one journey
Each day carries the next — from arrival in the apostle's city, to the Feast of St. Paul itself, to the early-Church sites of Antioch and Mersin. Arrive a traveller; leave having walked the apostle's ground.
Mon 28 June
Arrival in Tarsus
Arrival via Istanbul and a connecting flight south — to the first evening in Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle Paul.
Tue 29 June
The Feast of St. Paul
Holy Mass in honour of St. Paul in his native city — St. Paul's Church and Well, Cleopatra's Gate, and the ancient Roman Road.
Wed 30 June
Antioch & Mersin
Antioch, where followers were first called Christians — the cave Church of St. Peter — and the historic churches of Mersin.
Watch · See it for yourself
From ancient times to today
Before you decide, see the place with your own eyes. This short film traces Tarsus across two thousand years — from the apostle's birthplace to the living city that will welcome you. Two quiet minutes here say more than any brochure.
Film footage courtesy of Tarsus Belediyesi
More glimpses of Tarsus
Tarsus — Glimpse I
Early footage from the city and its ancient heritage.
Tarsus — Glimpse II
Streets, stone, and the light of Cilicia.
Tarsus — Glimpse III
Heritage and everyday life in the apostle's city.
Tarsus — Glimpse IV
A short glimpse of Tarsus today.
The City
The People
The Feast Day
29 June · The Feast of St. Paul
From St. Paul Church to the World
On the Feast Day, one prayer rises from Tarsus for brotherhood, peace and hope — and is broadcast live to those who follow from every part of the world. What begins in a single ancient city is offered, in that hour, to all.
Brotherhood among nations
Pilgrims and guests from many countries, gathered as one community for a single shared moment.
Peace and reconciliation
A prayer offered for understanding and goodwill, carried beyond the walls of the city.
The courage of the apostle
Honouring a life that set out from Tarsus and kept faith across every road and trial.
A live global invitation
A welcome extended in real time to all who follow from afar, wherever they may be.
A live global invitation — wherever you are on 29 June, you are welcome to keep this hour with us.
For he was born in Tarsus — a citizen of no mean city — and the road of his life began on these very stones.
On the heritage of Tarsus, the apostle's birthplace
Alongside the Programme
The Ancient Tarsus Market
An open-air market along a Roman street — local crafts, food, and keepsakes, free to wander for all three days of the gathering.
Held with Care
A gathering you can trust
Travelling far to take part is an act of faith in itself. St Paul Global Week is organised so that trust is well placed — a private gathering with all official permissions handled by the organiser, held openly and with care.
Rooted in Tarsus
St Paul Global Week gathers in Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, around the Feast of St. Paul on 29 June — a single shared moment in the city where his story began.
All arrangements handled
A private gathering organised by Funny Tourism, with all official permissions and arrangements handled by the organiser — so you can travel with confidence and simply take part.
Carried live to the world
The Feast Day Mass on 29 June is broadcast live, carrying the day from Tarsus to those who follow from every part of the world.
Churches & Groups
Lead your community on this pilgrimage
The deepest journeys are rarely taken alone. We warmly invite churches, clergy, ministry delegations, and pilgrimage groups to take part together — to share the Feast of St. Paul as one community, in the city of his birth.
Tell us about your group and we will help with arrangements for the whole party — accommodation, transfers, the heritage programme, and the visit to Mersin. There is no obligation, and we reply by email.
Register your interest
This site does not sell — we only capture your interest and reply by email.
Your Place Is Waiting
Walk the road that began in Tarsus
The road that began in Tarsus is still open. Come and walk it — for three days in June, with faith communities and travellers from every part of the world.