Historic Orthodox church in central Turkey uncovered during TOKİ project

A historic church was recently discovered during the excavation stage of an urban transformation project by the Presidency of Social Housing Management (TOKİ) in the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir. The church's frescoes, believed to date back to either the 12th or 13th centuries, have been well-preserved and appear unique, Nevşehir Mayor Hasan Ünver said.

The frescoes illustrate Jesus Christ's ascension and his destruction of the devil's soul. The preliminary findings suggest experts have not yet seen such frescos before. Ünver said the carved underground church will be turned into a pilgrimage site for the Orthodox community. The church will also increase the number of tourists visiting the city, more specifically to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cappadocia nearby. "The team continues to clean the area, and believes more interesting findings will come up. Some illustrations can be unique to just this church," he said, adding that the number of tourists could surpass 15 million when the church opens. In previous excavations, waterways, passages and some carved rooms were found in an area extending over 360,000 square meters.