1,700-year-old church found in sea

The remains of a 1,700-year-old Christian church have been discovered submerged in shallow waters in the Mediterranean off the…

The remains of a 1,700-year-old Christian church have been discovered submerged in shallow waters in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Turkey.

The stone church, about 20 metres long and 10 metres wide is thought to have been built some time after 330 AD on the shoreline of the ancient city of Aperlae. It is in a region once known as Lycia following the reign of Constantine I, according to Prof Robert Hohlfelder of the University of Colorado at Boulder, who led the research team.

The remains were identified in June during a joint project undertaken with the University of Maryland. It is thought the shoreline on which the church stood subsided over the centuries due to earthquake activity to eventually lie in waters just under two metres deep.