“Leaded Town”
Population: 1,500
Old name: Elegmi
Heading from Mudanya to Gemlik along the coast of the Sea of Marmara you will pass through the sprawling seaside settlement of Kurşunlu, one of those places that must be a flurry of activity from mid-June to mid-September but which then slumps into somnolence for the rest of the year.
There’s no real reason for stop here as it’s solid middle-class holiday-home territory. However, as you come into town from Mudanya you might want to look out on the sea side of the road for the unexpected and quite substantial ruins (minus the dome) of the Monastery Church of Hagios Abercius which probably dates from the 11th or 12th century. Beside it archaeologists uncovered the remains of a much earlier church believed to date back to the 5th century.
Very little is known about the church. Nor have I found any information about the saint after whom it is named.
Transport info
Bus no 104 from Mudanya to Gemlik runs through Kurşunlu once an hour.
