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© RESUL MUSLU / DREAMSTIME.COM

WATERFRONT BASILICA. These 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 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.