Nicaea was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey, by the shore of Lake İznik (also known as Lake Nicaea).
Archaeologists discovered a larger church beneath Lake İznik in 2014. Since 2015, excavations have gradually revealed the remains of a smaller church beneath the larger one. The team found a pavement floor from the smaller church that it is about a foot (30 centimeters) below the basilica, suggesting that the smaller church is older, said Mustafa Şahin, an archaeology professor at Bursa Uludağ University in Turkey who is leading excavations at the site.
It appears from historical records and archaeological remains that the smaller church was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 368, while the larger church was built on the site in A.D. 380.
An aerial view of the church's remains in what was once the ancient Greek city of Nicaea. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Imperial palace
However, experts who were not involved with the excavations cautioned that it's not certain that the bishops met in this church and that, even if they did, the most important meetings would have been held in Constantine's imperial palace rather than in the church. But the imperial palace has not been found and may also lie under Lake İznik.
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David Gwynn, a historian at Royal Holloway, University of London, told Live Science in an email that "the evidence that the earlier church may go back to the early 4th century and therefore have a potential connection to the Council of Nicaea looks promising." He cautioned however that he "would not exaggerate the importance of the physical church beyond adding a slightly greater glimpse of the world in which the council met."
Excavation and analysis of the site is ongoing.
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