SUBMERGED RUINS OF CHURCH HERALDED ‘ONE OF CHRISTIANITY’S MOST IMPORTANT PLACES’ IS SPOTTED IN AERIAL PHOTOS
After years of hunting, archaeologists have found sunken ruins that could be where the First Council of Nicaea was held – making it one of the most important places in Christian history.
The First Council of Nicaea was a meeting held in 325 AD in the ancient town of Nicaea, now known as Iznik, in Turkey, which was then part of the Roman Empire.
It was arranged by Constantine I, the first emperor to convert to Christianity, and it was here they agreed the nature of the relationship between God and Jesus.
The council brought bishops from across the world to the shores of Lake Ascanius to agree the particulars of their faith – including when Easter should be held.
I’d been doing field surveys in Iznik since 2006 and hadn’t yet discovered a magnificent structure like that,’ he said
Archaeologist Mustafa Şahin from Uludag University has spent years scouring the shores of the modern-day lake, called Lake Iznik, searching for historical treasures from that time.
But it was only when the government of Bursa Province commissioned some aerial photos of the lake that he spotted a church submerged in its waters. ‘The photography team in Bursa City Hall have been capturing the aerial photos of the Lake since 2013, but hadn’t thought of contacting any expert,’ said Dr Şahin.
‘So when they started capturing aerial pictures of the lake again, team member Saffet Yilmaz contacted me and asked if the remains of the structure might have meant something.
‘When I first saw the images of the lake, I was quite surprised to see a church structure that clearly.
‘I’d been doing field surveys in Iznik since 2006 and hadn’t yet discovered a magnificent structure like that,’ he said.
Dr Şahin believes the church marks the place where Saint Neophytos was martyred back in 303AD.
Saint Neophytos, who led the life of a hermit, is widely believed to be one of the most significant figures of the Church of Cyprus.
Dr Şahin believes the church was built in the honour of Saint Neophytos.
He also believes it marks the site of the former Senate Palace where the first First Council of Nicaea took place almost 1,700 years ago.
The meeting was held to decide whether Jesus had been ‘begotten’ by God from his own being – and therefore had no beginning – or was created out of nothing, and therefore had a beginning.
The council, as encouraged by Constantine I, overwhelmingly decided in favour of the former – thereby creating one of the defining characteristics of Christianity.
As well as agreeing the nature of the relationship between God and Jesus, the First Council of Nicaea set the date for Easter.
Constantine believed that setting a shared date for Easter would be good for the unity of the Church as a whole.
It was also where the Nicene Creed was created, which is still used in Catholic Mass. It is an often-repeated statement of belief that ends with the words ‘We believe in the Holy Spirit.’
DAILY MAIL, 6 SEPTEMBER 2018
The meeting was held to decide whether Jesus had been ‘begotten’ by God from his own being – and therefore had no beginning – or was created out of nothing, and therefore had a beginning