LAKE IZNIK, SANCTA SOPHIA & US

One of my favorite places in Turkey is the little town of Iznik, formerly called Nicaea. It is an old, old city, probably dating from 1000 BC. It was revitalized by one of Alexander the Great’s generals in 316 BC and renamed Nicaea, after another general’s wife. By 74 BC it was part of the Roman Empire. Under Roman control it got new walls, temples, theaters and baths.

If you are coming from Istanbul, a trip of about 90 minutes, you will drive along the shoreline of Lake Iznik on the way to the town.


Then as you get closer, you will drive through several layers of Byzantine and Roman walls, and finally enter by the old Istanbul Gate.


With the rise of Constantine, who was head of the Christian Church, the town took on new importance. In 325 Constantine called what became known as the First Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church. It was the first time all the Bishops of the church had come together, and the primary cause was because of a particular heresy that had arisen about the nature of Jesus, called “Arianism” Besides the condemnation of this heresy, the council also created the “Creed of Nicaea” – the intent being to define unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom.

This Council was held at Sancta Sophia Church, which as you would expect is now in ruins but still very interesting. The original building was destroyed by an earthquake in 1065 but rebuilt. At that time Mosaics were set into the walls. The church became a mosque with the ottoman conquest in 1331, and then had to be restored once again because of a fire in 1500.

Nevertheless, when you stand inside those ruins, you can’t help but feel you are still in a place where a major event in the history of Christianity took place.

Nicaea, now Iznik, was also the location of the 7th Ecumenical Council. This time it had to settle a controversy over whether or not Icons – pictures of Christ, the apostles, the saints, and holy events - would be allowed in the church. Iconoclasts, the term given to those who felt that icons were the “images” prohibited by the Bible, destroyed them wherever they could. The church council ruled against this, and in doing so enabled artists through the ages to create in peace.

But Iznik has more than just religious history to commend it. In 1514 Sultan Selim I rolled his armies over Azerbaijan and packed up all of the region’s artisans and took them to Iznik. They brought with them a high level of expertise in the making of colored tiles. A great period of Iznik tile making started and really lasted until 1700. Now the art of colored tile-making is being revived, and you can buy good examples at moderate prices. Any of the old antique Iznik tiles cannot be legally exported from Turkey.


Jer and I found the local museum to be among the most interesting we visited, and on the grounds I took a picture of Jerry standing next to a tiny tomb. Who would have thought a tiny baby would have such a lovely place of repose.