British archaeologists have discovered the most long-suffering church in the world - and, in the literal sense of the word. This temple survived two earthquakes, a full-length flood and landslides, and all these sad circumstances happened directly during the construction of the building.

The Church of St. Phocas was built in the Turkish city of Sinop, on the Black Sea coast. True, now little remains of the historical part of the city, since it was washed away by sea waters. Saint Phocas was considered the patron saint of Sinop - it was in this town that this Christian saint lived, and after his death it was decided to build a temple in honor of the martyr. Saint Phocas lived in the second century AD. He was a hermit who, in his free time from prayer, dug his own grave with his bare hands. The martyr was executed for his faith by Roman soldiers who entered the city, and since then Saint Phocas, canonized some time after his death, is considered the patron saint of sailors and gardeners. In the nineties, archaeologists from the Sinop Historical Museum discovered fragments of late Roman mosaics on the shore of the small village of Ciftlik. Scientists assumed that there was something more hidden behind the fragments and decided to start excavations. Professor Stephen Hill from the University of Warwick was invited to consult on this issue. With his help, it was possible to discover the foundation of a building that had gone under water, which turned out to be the Church of St. Phocas. Its construction dates back to the fourth century AD, and this temple can be called one of the earliest in Christianity.

To the great regret of historians and archaeologists, the discovered foundation will not last long and will be completely destroyed in the coming years. This is due to numerous factors that have influenced and continue to influence the state of the historical ruins. Firstly, during its construction, the temple survived two earthquakes, then mudflows and landslides hit it, and then the foundation sank under water. During the Ottoman Empire, the church turned into a house for opium smokers, and then the temple was finally abandoned and flooded.

based on materials from Ananova

Christian church discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea