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First Council of Nicaea church possibly found by archaeologists in Turkey
foxnews.com • • world
Key Points:
- Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered the remains of a smaller church beneath the Church of the Holy Fathers in İznik, believed to be the original Church of St. Neophytos that hosted the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.
- The discovery was made after excavations revealed that the floor paving extended beyond the walls of the known basilica, supporting the hypothesis of an earlier church on the site.
- The First Council of Nicaea was a crucial event in Christian history, producing the Nicene Creed and unifying Christian doctrine across the Roman Empire.
- Coins found beneath the later basilica date its construction to around 380 A.D., indicating the smaller church existed during the time of the council.
- Excavation director Mustafa Şahin emphasized that the smaller church better fits historical descriptions and confirmed that the Church of the Holy Fathers was built later to honor the council's bishops.
