1,500-year-old church discovered beneath lake in Turkey
A submerged fourth- or fifth-century basilica has resurfaced with the withdrawal of waters from a lake in the Iznik district in northwestern Turkey.
Aerial photographs have helped uncover the ruins of an ancient Christian church, dedicated to St. Neophytos, in Lake Iznik in Turkey’s Bursa province, Daily Sabah reports.
The basilica is located in an area of great significance to Christian history. On the shores of Lake Iznik lies Nicaea, the site of the First Ecumenical Council.
Historians estimate that the basilica was submerged during an earthquake in 740. The remains of the ancient church were discovered after water levels in the lake dropped.
Archaeologists consider the church an example of early Christian architecture. It is believed to be built in the fifth century over the burial site of the holy martyr Neophytos, who was killed for refusing to offer sacrifices to idols in Nice (modern-day France).
Work has been ongoing since 2015 to present the ruins as part of an underwater museum, as excavations continue.
The UOJ previously reported that British archaeologists had discovered the remains of an early Christian church believed to be the oldest ever found on the island.
