Fifth-Century Church Discovered Near Black Sea

KARABÜK, TURKEY—The International Business Times reports that the ruins of a fifth-century Christian church have been found near the Black Sea, in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis. Ersin Çelikbaş of Karabük University said the church measures about 65 feet long and is thought to be one of the oldest in Anatolia. Surviving floor mosaics in the church feature an image of a bull leaping over a row of plants, and depictions of rivers mentioned in the Bible. The building could be related to monasteries mentioned in ancient sources that were built by the Christian saint Alypius the Stylite, who was born and died in Hadrianopolis. He is remembered for building the Church of St. Euphemia and living on top of a pillar erected next to it. Çelikbaş and his team have also uncovered a second church, two baths, and a villa at the site, which was located on an early Christian pilgrimage route. To read about another discovery in Turkey, go to “In Search of a Philosopher’s Stone.”