Archaeologists in Turkey have announced a significant find, unearthing what they believe are the remains of a church that once hosted the First Council of Nicaea. This council marked a pivotal moment in Christian history. An international team explored a church complex located in ancient Nicaea, now the modern town of İznik, as reported by the Anadolu Agency.
The identified building, led by excavation director Mustafa Şahin, is recognized as the Church of St. Neophytos. Historical records indicate it was destroyed by an earthquake in 368 A.D. and replaced by the Church of the Holy Fathers around 380 A.D.
“We are very pleased because our hypothesis has been confirmed.”
Images show archaeologists uncovering the church’s stone foundations by the shore of Lake İznik. The team revealed evidence of an earlier church believed to have hosted the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. Şahin explained that the discovery was triggered by the discovery of floor paving extending beyond the known church’s walls.
Nicaea is notable for holding the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, the initial ecumenical council that formulated the Nicene Creed. The creed affirmed Jesus’s divine nature, contrasting the teachings of Arius, who considered Jesus a created being.
In 2014, archaeologists identified a submerged basilica, now linked to the Church of the Holy Fathers. However, Şahin suggests the newly found smaller church beneath points to the initial site of the council. Coins discovered in graves below the later basilica date its construction to around A.D. 380.
Historical accounts, such as Eusebius of Caesarea’s, depict the council convening in a small church. Şahin notes, “The church was so small that one wonders how so many bishops fit inside.”
Ultimately, evidence suggests the Church of Saint Neophytos lay beneath the Church of the Holy Fathers, hosting the first council. Şahin confirmed that the Church of the Holy Fathers commemorated the council and the bishops.
Şahin remarked, “This year, we can say definitively the Church of the Holy Fathers is located here.” Turkey, a site of many archaeological revelations, recently yielded significant early Christian findings, cementing its historical importance.
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