Archaeologists unearth secret church tied to Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s defining moment
Smaller Church of St Neophytos was uncovered beneath Church of the Holy Fathers near Lake İznik
Bible skeptics face decisive archaeological evidence, author Dinesh D’Souza says
Archaeologists said they uncovered evidence of an earlier church they believed hosted the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. (Mustafa Yılmaz/Anadolu via Getty Images; Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
He said researchers discovered that floor pavement outside the later church continued into the prothesis chamber, an area beside the sanctuary, and ran beneath its eastern wall, suggesting it belonged to an earlier phase of the church complex.
He added, “At the end of the first week, as we had hoped, we discovered that the floor paving continued beyond the existing church.”
The excavation took place in the ancient city of Nicaea, now the modern Turkish town of İznik. (Mustafa Yilmaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Archaeologists first identified a large submerged basilica at the site in 2014, later determining it was the Church of the Holy Fathers.
While that basilica has long been associated with the First Council of Nicaea, Şahin told AA the newly uncovered, smaller church beneath it is a more likely candidate.
Eusebius of Caesarea, who attended the First Council of Nicaea, described the meeting as taking place in a small church — a detail that Şahin said supports his hypothesis.
Historical accounts by Eusebius of Caesarea played a role in researchers’ interpretation of the site, according to Şahin. (Mustafa Yilmaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
After uncovering evidence that the basilica had been built over an earlier church, Şahin said he was confident the Church of St. Neophytos stood beneath the Church of the Holy Fathers and was the church that hosted the First Council of Nicaea.
Turkey has been the site of numerous archaeological discoveries tied to early Christianity.
Researchers said the findings reinforced their conclusion that the Church of the Holy Fathers was built over the site of the First Council of Nicaea. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Mustafa Yilmaz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Last summer, archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Olympos in southern Turkey uncovered a fifth-century Christian church featuring a long-hidden inscription.
Later that year, archaeologists in southwestern Turkey uncovered the remains of a Roman hospital that was later converted into a Christian sanctuary.
