Discovery in Ancient Nicaea: Rare Good Shepherd Fresco Emerges
Rare Early Christian Fresco of Christ the Good Shepherd Revealed in Ancient Nicaea
Iznik, Turkey, December 2025
Archaeological excavations at the Hisardere Necropolis in İznik, the ancient city of Nicaea, have brought to light a chamber tomb adorned with a rare and profoundly significant fresco depicting our Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd. Scholars believe this image may be the only known example of its kind in Anatolia, offering a remarkable witness to the faith of the early Christian community in this historic land.
The excavations are being carried out with the blessing and authorization of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, under the direction of İznik Museum Director Tolga Koparal, with scientific oversight by Professor Aygün Ekin Meriç of Dokuz Eylül University’s Department of Archaeology.
The Hisardere Necropolis served as a burial ground from the second through the fifth centuries, during a period when Christianity was spreading quietly yet resolutely throughout the Roman world. The cemetery includes tombs belonging to both prominent families and the humbler faithful, reflecting the Church’s early witness across all social boundaries in Nicaea-a city later sanctified by the First Ecumenical Council in 325.
The chamber tomb uncovered during the 2025 excavation season is oriented along a north–south axis. Though the southern wall has suffered damage over time, the east, west, and north walls, along with the ceiling, remain largely intact and are richly decorated with frescoes. The presence of human figures throughout the painted surfaces is unusual for tombs of this region, underscoring the importance of the burial and the beliefs of those who prepared it.
Source: turkiyetoday.com
Most striking is the fresco on the north wall, positioned behind a raised funerary platform (kline) upon which the departed were laid to rest. Here, Christ is portrayed as a youthful shepherd, clothed simply, carrying a horned goat upon His shoulders. On either side, additional goats stand in symmetrical harmony. This image recalls the words of the Gospel: “I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Art historians note that this depiction follows a Roman artistic style common in the early centuries of Christianity, before the Cross became the dominant visual symbol of the faith. For the early Church, the image of the Good Shepherd expressed Christ’s mercy, His saving care for fallen humanity, and His promise of resurrection-especially fitting for a funerary setting where hope in eternal life was proclaimed even in death.
Although no inscriptions or grave goods were found to allow precise dating, the architectural form of the tomb closely corresponds to other structures in the necropolis dated to the third century, firmly placing it within the Early Christian era. This makes the fresco one of the earliest visual testimonies to Christian belief in the region.
The discovery is of exceptional importance not only to archaeology but also to the spiritual history of Orthodoxy. Unearthed in the very land where the Fathers of the Church once gathered to confess the true faith of Christ, this image stands as a silent yet eloquent witness to the continuity of Orthodox belief-from the persecuted Church of the catacombs to the fullness of the faith proclaimed at Nicaea.
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