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DRAWING BY MUSTAFA ŞAHİN & BAS

WATERFRONT BASILICA. These plans of the partially submerged ruins just outside the ancient city of Nicea belong to a fourth-century basilica. Originally standing on the banks of Lake Ascania, they were later swallowed by the rising water. Recent explorations revealed a square-shaped structure (marked in blue) under the apse of the basilica that clearly predates the church. Built with crudely laid field stones and mortar, this might be the initial shrine honoring the Christian martyr Neophytos. Marked in orange on the plan are early Christian graves.