Archaeologists in Turkey have made a significant discovery, potentially unearthing the remains of a church linked to the First Council of Nicaea. This council was a pivotal event in Christian history. An international team of researchers excavated a church complex in the ancient city of Nicaea, present-day İznik, as per the Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency (AA).
Excavation director Mustafa Şahin identified the building as the Church of St. Neophytos. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 368 A.D. Following this, the Church of the Holy Fathers was constructed around 380 A.D.
“We are very pleased because our hypothesis has been confirmed.”
The team uncovered stone foundations of the ancient church complex along the shore of Lake İznik. The trenches revealed centuries-old walls and masonry, along with evidence of an earlier church believed to be the site of the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
Mustafa Şahin explained that the discovery came after noting the floor paving extended beyond the current basilica’s walls. His team began excavating the area east of the prothesis, outside the church’s exterior wall.
“At the end of the first week, as we had hoped, we discovered that the floor paving continued beyond the existing church,” Şahin stated.
Nicaea is renowned as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed in 325 A.D., the first ecumenical council in Christian history. This council affirmed key aspects of Christian doctrine, including the idea that Jesus was “begotten, not made” and fully divine. It rejected the beliefs of Arius, who saw Christ as a created being.
Archaeologists previously identified a submerged basilica at the site in 2014. While this basilica has been associated with the First Council of Nicaea, Şahin suggests the newly found, smaller church beneath it is a more likely candidate.
Coins found in graves beneath the later basilica date its construction to around A.D. 380. Şahin’s confidence in his theory is bolstered by historical accounts from Eusebius of Caesarea, who described the council as occurring in a small church.
“The church was so small that one wonders how so many bishops fit inside,” said Şahin. “This itself was a great miracle of God.”
These accounts have aided researchers in their site interpretation. Şahin believes the Church of Saint Neophytos stood beneath the Church of the Holy Fathers and hosted the First Council of Nicaea.
“The Church of the Holy Fathers… was built after 380 over the site of the First Council and in memory of the bishops who attended it,” Şahin explained.
Turkey has seen several archaeological discoveries related to early Christianity. Researchers believe these findings confirm that the Church of the Holy Fathers was built at the site of the First Council of Nicaea.
In the prior summer, archaeologists in southern Turkey uncovered a fifth-century Christian church in the ancient city of Olympos, revealing a long-hidden inscription. Later, the remains of a Roman hospital converted into a Christian sanctuary were discovered in southwestern Turkey.