NICAEA - THE HISTORY OF THE CITY

Nikaia/Nikei/NIKAIEΩN/Nicaea/Nikea/Nicea (tén en Bithynoís Níkaian; Latin: Nicaea; (now Iznik) is a city located in Bithynia in northwestern Anatolia, eastern shore of the large Lake Ascanius (Lake Askania) near the eastern coast of the Sea Marmara in Turkey. It was an area where ancient trade routes crossed, leading south and east into Asia Minor.

It is believed that there was previously a city called Attaea in this place, founded around 500 AD. BC or called Helikore, created at the beginning of the 4th century BC. Okay. 322-311 BC (316 BC?) the Macedonian king Antigonus/Antigones I the One-Eyed founded the city of Antigonia. After failure Antigonus in the clash with Lysimachus in 301, the city was renamed Nicaea, probably in honor of the latter’s wife.

In 74 BC the last king of Bithynia, Nicomedes IV, gave the city to Rome. In the years 362 or 363 and 368 it fell victim to earthquakes. In 362/363 it was completely razed to earth. The city was rebuilt on the initiative of Emperor Valens, who established a metropolis there. Nicaea is also mentioned in written sources in connection with the earthquakes in VI
century. The city regained its former glory thanks to the construction activity of Emperor Justinian the Great. In the 8th century, Nicaea became the capital of the Byzantine ago/province. In 727 the city besieged by the Arabs. Troops of the Seljuk Turks captured it in 1081, establishing it there its capital. However, after a long siege by the participants of the First Crusade in 1097, it remained it was recovered for Byzantium. During the rule of the Komnenian dynasty in the 12th century it occurred a period of renewed development and prosperity of the city.

After the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople, emperors found refuge there the Byzantines and their court and established the Empire of Nicaea (1204-1261). Theymembers from the Laskarid/Laskaris dynasty ruled in Nicaea. The reign of this dynasty (13th century) is  also considered the second golden period in the city’s history. The new Byzantine state with its capital in Nicaea. (At the same time, other states were established that referred to the Byzantine legacy, i.e. the Empire Thessalonica and the Empire of Trebizond) were created by Theodore I Laskaris (the emperor’s son-in-law
Byzantine Alexios III Angelos). Byzantine patriots gathered around this state. In 1206, Theodore assumed the title of emperor, crowned by the Orthodox patriarch Constantinople (Michael Autoreianos, who also during the Latin occupation of the city resided in Nicaea). Theodore became the sole full emperor of Byzantium, and patriarch residing in Nicaea, he took the title of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, becoming rightful head of the Greek Church. In this way, the emperor and the Latin patriarch in Constantinople were opposed to the Byzantine emperor and orthodox patriarch in Nicaea. When creating the state, Theodore followed the example of the old one Byzantium in terms of the organization of administration and the organization of the court. The goal of the rulers Nicaea was the economic self-sufficiency of the state.

In 1331, the city was captured by the Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Orhan. Muslim rulers gave it a new name- Iznik. A number of mosques were built in the city. In the 15th and 16th centuries it became known for the production of ceramics, which was initiated by craftsmen brought by Sultan of Persia. They are considered the most beautiful ceramic products in the Ottoman Empire. Many products from local workshops still decorate Ottoman buildings and mosques to this day in Istanbul (e.g.Blue Mosque).

Two general councils of the Church were held in Nicaea, i.e. the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and Second Council of Nicaea in 787. There were also plans to organize a council there in 451, which finally took place in Chalcedon. The reason for convening the first of them – at least official – there were controversies among Christians surrounding the doctrine preached by Arius and the dispute regarding the method and date of celebrating Easter. Cause convening the Second Council of Nicaea, there were disputes that divided the then Christianity on the issue of the cult of images, which divided them into cult supporters called iconodules and opponents called iconoclasts. The council was convened by Empress Irene – an ardent admirer of images. The importance of this council is believed to have been huge in many aspects. From a cultural point of view, it established and allowed the cult of images on the development of religious art in Europe, liturgy, the cult of relics and images, and also pilgrimages. He also contributed to the development of a theology of the image in the East, which was practised as rooted in the West as well. Hence the difference between two ways of practicing painting: on the one hand on the one hand, the theological richness of Eastern icons, and on the other hand, mainly formal richness  of Western painting. It also caused a reorientation of the pope’s policy, he turned to the new power of the Franks, seeing them as protectors of the papacy, pushing them away from the Byzantine emperors.