A team of Turkish archaeologists have found an early Christian church in an underground settlement near Nevsehir, in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey.
The archaeologists have dated the church to the 5th century CE. They discovered the church in a large underground city that the scientists found in March 2015, as sci-news website mentions.
“The frescoes in this church show the rise of Jesus the Christ into the sky and the killing of the bad souls,” Hasan Ünver, the mayor of Nevsehir, told theAnadolu Agency and the English-language newspaper Hürriyet Daily News.
“We know that such frescoes have so far never been seen in any other church,” he added.
“Only a few of the paintings have been revealed. Others will emerge when the earth is removed,” added Dr. Semih İstanbulluoğlu, an archaeologist at Ankara University, and his colleague Ali Aydın.
“There are important paintings in the front part of the church showing the crucifixion of Jesus and his ascension to heaven.”
“There are also frescoes showing the apostles, the saints and the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elyesa.”
Mr. Ünver added: “there are exciting depictions like fish falling from the hand of Jesus Christ, him rising up into the sky, and the bad souls being killed.”
“When the church is completely revealed, Cappadocia could become an even bigger pilgrimage center of Orthodoxy.”
