Sunken basilica in Turkey's Lake Iznik

Listen to this article An unusual find has taken place in the Turkish province of Bursa. Archaeologists from the local university managed to uncover the foundations of a church, probably dating back to the 5th century. Despite the lack of any confirmed information about the origin of the building, scientists assume that this is the

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: January 29, 2014 - 12:52

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 02:54

Listen to this article

An unusual find has taken place in the Turkish province of Bursa. Archaeologists from the local university managed to uncover the foundations of a church, probably dating back to the 5th century. Despite the lack of any confirmed information about the origin of the building, scientists assume that this is the church of St. Peter, which is mentioned in some sources.

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The whole discovery was initiated by an aerial photo, taken as part of an inventory of monuments in the region. According to the information provided to the media, the first fragments of the ancient building could be seen in the water at a depth of 1.5-2m about 20m from the shore. Then, as the work continued, hidden foundations were uncovered. Experts on the Byzantine period are now trying to establish more details about the origin of the building.

“Based on the materials collected so far, we can conclude that the remains of the found building very much resemble another local church, Haiga Sophia, so we assume that both buildings date from the same period, ” said Mustafa Sahin, professor of archaeology at Bursa Uludag University

So far it has been established that the building consisted of three corridors and has a basilica layout, popular in the Roman period. Until 313 (the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Empire) this type of building was most often the seat of the courts, and over time Christians began to use this layout to build their temples.

On the basis of a preliminary examination, scientists assume that the structure collapsed as a result of an earthquake, which hits the area relatively often, and was never rebuilt again.

The find was hailed as one of the most important discoveries in the region. As soon as it was made, the authorities of the Museum in Iznik and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were informed and asked to properly secure the area.

The province of Bursa is one of the most important places for Christianity in all of Turkey. Iznik, called Nikaja or Nikea in ancient times, was the place where the first universal council was held. Interestingly, the ruins of the palace built by Constantine I the Great, where the council was held, are also located in the waters of the same lake.

Source : worldbulletin.net, ansamed.info
Photos courtesy: worldbulletin.net

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.