Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Jesus as “Good Shepherd” will be a unique example in Anatolia and will be among the most important artifacts of early Christianity in the area. Fresco shows a young Jesus, beardless, dressed in a toga and with a goat on his shoulders.
Archaeologists in Türkiye discovered, in August, a rare fresco of Jesus depicted as the “Good Shepherd”in a find that researchers consider among the most important in early Christianity in Anatolia.
The painting was found in an underground tomb near Iznikin the northwest of the country, a central location in the history of the Church for having hosted, in 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea, where the I believe Nicene.
The discovery occurred in the village of Hisardere, in an area that, in the 3rd century, was part of the Roman Empire. The tomb dates from that period, when Christian communities still faced persecution, the agency said.
The fresco shows a Young Jesus, beardless, dressed in a toga and with a goat on his shoulders — the iconography of the Good Shepherd —, with clearly “Roman” features, something unusual in representations identified in the region.
Before the cross asserted itself as a universal symbol of Christianity, the image of the Good Shepherd assumed a central role in the expression of faith, associated with ideas of protection, salvation and divine guidance. Despite the importance of the motif, known examples in Anatolia are scarce.
According to researchers, the version found in Hisardere stands out for being particularly well preserved. The responsible team even admits that this could be a unique copy in Anatolian territory.
The archaeologist Gulsen Kutbaywho is leading the excavation, described the painting as possibly “the only example of its kind in Anatolia”. The funerary space, of reduced dimensions, also features bird decoration and plant motifs on the ceiling and walls, as well as portraits of men and women of high status accompanied by servants.
For Eren Erten Ertem, an archaeologist at the Iznik Museum, the group of frescoes reflects “a transition from late paganism to early Christianity”, suggesting a farewell to the dead to the afterlife “in a positive way” and compatible with new beliefs.
The excavation revealed the skeletons of five individuals. Anthropologist Ruken Zeynep Kose explained that poor preservation prevented estimating the age of two of them, but it was possible to identify two young adults and a baby around six months old.
The find gained prominence among the public especially due to the recent visit of Pope Leo XIV to Izniklast month, to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Before leaders and representatives of churches from the East and West, the pontiff prayed for unity among Christians. During the visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered the Pope a tile panel inspired by the discovery of the Good Shepherd.
Anatolia was the scene of decisive episodes in Christian history: Saint Paul was born in Tarsus, Saint John lived his last years in Ephesus and, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary may have spent her final days near the same city.
