Council of Nicaea Church Found? Archaeologists Discover 1,700-Year-Old Structure at Ancient Site

Audio By Carbonatix

Archaeologists in Turkey say they have uncovered the 1,700-year-old church that hosted perhaps the most significant – and certainly the best-known – council in Christian history.

The archaeologists say they discovered the remains of the Church of Saint Neophytos, which in 325 A.D. hosted the Council of Nicaea, where hundreds of Christian bishops gathered to settle a theological debate over the nature of Jesus Christ and ultimately produced the Nicene Creed.

It was at that council that the bishops affirmed the biblical teaching that Jesus is fully God and rejected the Arian controversy, which contended that Jesus was a created being rather than eternally divine.

Early church historian Eusebius, who attended the council, wrote in his biography "Life of Constantine" that “the most distinguished of God's ministers from all the churches which abounded in Europe, Libya, and Asia were here assembled.”

Professor Mustafa Sahin, head of the archaeology department at Bursa Uludag University in Bursa, Turkey, told Turkish media he is confident that the newly discovered structure was the Church of Saint Neophytos.

Sahin said he and his team uncovered what is believed to be the Church of Saint Neophytos beneath the remains of a basilica already known at the site, which is on the edge of a lake in Iznik. The Church of Saint Neophytos, Sahin said, was destroyed by an earthquake in 368 A.D. and was replaced by the Church of the Holy Fathers, a larger structure built around 380 in memory of the clergy who participated in the Council of Nicaea.

The remains of the Church of the Holy Fathers were discovered in 2014.

This year’s archaeological breakthrough came when Sahin's team discovered that floor paving previously uncovered in the Church of the Holy Fathers’ prothesis room – an area used for storing sacred items – extended beyond the walls of the existing basilica.

The team then uncovered sections of walls and a column base associated with what Sahin says is the Church of Saint Neophytos.

"The Church of the Holy Fathers … was built after 380 over the site of the First Council and in memory of the bishops who attended it," he said.

"As of this year, we are in a position to say definitively that the Church of the Holy Fathers is located here. We are very pleased because our hypothesis has been confirmed."

The Nicene Creed reads, in part: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.

“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

 Photo Credit: ©AnadoluAgency

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.