Derbe is an ancient city in today's Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. This city is mentioned in the biblical book of Acts

Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...

 - , and was situated near ancient Lystra

Lystra

Lystra was a city in what is now modern Turkey. It is mentioned five times in the New Testament. It was visited a few times by the Apostle Paul, along with Barnabas or Silas.-Location:...

.

Location

Although still a subject of controversy, the most likely site of Derbe lies about 15 miles (24.1 km) north northeast of the city of Karaman, Turkey (ancient Laranda) on a mound known as Kerti Hüyük.

Churches were built to commemorate the visit of St. Paul.
A distinctive church ruin is believed to be the home of the last Bishop of Derbe, circa A.D. 1001. A few coins and inscriptions of Derbe are extant.

History

In ancient times, Derbe was one of a few Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 cities, and was used as a refuge for traveling Christians. Its Christian church was burned and buried under a mountain of soil by the Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...

 Diocletian

Diocletian

Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244  – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....

, during the Diocletian Persecution

Diocletian Persecution

The Diocletianic Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians and demanding that they comply with traditional Roman...

, this event took place just prior to the year 300 AD. After the destruction of Derbe, there was a mass exodus of the population. Many went to western Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, settling in modern day France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It is during this time that the last name "Derbes" began to be expressed with the connotative meaning, "man from Derbe". The name is still expressed as a surname to this day.