{"id":295495,"date":"2020-10-22T16:52:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T13:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=295495"},"modified":"2020-10-22T16:55:15","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T13:55:15","slug":"newly-discovered-underwater-ruins-point-to-christian-past-on-turkeys-black-sea-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/newly-discovered-underwater-ruins-point-to-christian-past-on-turkeys-black-sea-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly-discovered underwater ruins point to Christian past on Turkey’s Black Sea coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The authorities of Ordu province, in northern Turkey, announced<\/a> on Monday that experts from the Bodrum<\/a> Museum of Underwater Archaeology found the ruins of a church on the bottom of Lake Gaga, submerged 15 meters below the surface.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The age of these vestiges is yet to be determined. The 15-acre lake is the most important landmark in the region and is part of a natural protected area.<\/p>\n

There is a small islet in the middle of the lake with ruins of a fortress and a church dating back to the Middle Ages. This and the recent discovery have determined authorities to register the lake as an archaeological site.<\/p>\n

There are many Christian vestiges scattered throughout the Ordu province, on the southern shore of the Black Sea. They have been abandoned or turned into museums, art galleries, theatres or mosques.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the 20th century, the region had a sizeable Christian community. More than half of the inhabitants of Ordu, the Capital city of Ordu province, were Christians.<\/p>\n