Veroli Foundation during Pope Leo’s visit to Iznik!

On November 28th, our Veroli Foundation had the extraordinary pleasure of participating in a historic event – the visit of Pope Leo to the basilica in Iznik. We were honored to witness this unique moment and also gave several interviews to Polish Radio, BBC, and Reuters about our ongoing archaeological research in Iznik. Our main goal is to find the imperial palace, which, according to sources, was the site of the famous Council of Nicaea.

During the visit, Pope Leo XIV was to be given our latest archaeological report, summarizing the results of our research to date. It was a great honor to prepare such a study for such a distinguished guest. We are already getting ready for an exhibition at the Vatican, where we will present the results of our research to a wider international audience!

We are also supporting Prof. Sahin, who is conducting detailed archaeological studies on the basilica site – it was there that the solemn mass led by the Pope took place. It is worth recalling that Leo visited Iznik to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and to emphasize the importance of this place for Christian history.

The basilica in Iznik is one of the proposed locations of the imperial palace, but our current archaeological knowledge suggests that it was built approximately 70 years after the council and was named the Basilica of Saint Neophytos. We are still searching for the Church of the Holy Fathers – perhaps it is the present basilica, or perhaps it is located elsewhere entirely. This remains an open subject for further research and discussion.

According to historical sources, the council took place in the imperial palace. Some accounts say that the palace was later converted into the Church of the Holy Fathers, while others suggest that it remained a palace and was renovated by Justinian. There is still much work and research ahead of us to confirm or dismiss the hypothesis that the palace was located on the site of the present basilica.

We are delighted to be able to share the results of our research during such important events, and we look forward with great anticipation to further discoveries in Iznik!