July 2006 - Couldn't find ANY information about this on site but brief research says that the seven sleepers were early Christians persecuted by Decius, emperor of Constantinople.These seven young men fell asleep in a cave where they had gone to find refuge and pray, and were sealed in alive by Decius. They awoke over 100 years later when the landowner unsealed the cave and found the whole area overrun with Christians, the religious tide having turned by this point. They chose on death to be buried again in their cave and a church or shrine was built on top. Allegedly this is the cave. There is room for a lot more sleepers than just seven so I'm not sure how anyone knows this is the right cave.
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