Archaeologists have managed to uncover an almost perfectly preserved painting of Jesus Christ in northwestern Turkey. A historic mural found in an underground tomb depicts a young, clean-shaven Jesus carrying a goat. , in addition to art, the cave also contained several human skeletons.
- Archaeologists discovered a painting of young Jesus in an underground tomb.
- The painting was created in the area where the Nicene Creed was created in 325.
- The depicted Jesus has Roman features, is clean shaven and carries a goat.
- They also found the skeletons of five people in the tomb, including a six-month-old baby.
A painting depicting a young Jesus was found by archaeologists in August 2025 near the city of Iznik, historically known as Nikaia. It was in this city in northwestern Turkey that the Nicene Creed was created, which shaped early Christianity.
The Nicene Creed was established in AD 325 when the area was part of the Roman Empire. As Christians faced great persecution at the time, the cave painting of Jesus provides a rare insight into the lives and religious practices of the people during this challenging and dangerous period.
The wall artwork details a clean-shaven Jesus with Roman features in a toga, carrying a goat. The animal rests on Jesus’ shoulders, with its head turned to the left. At his feet, four more goats move among abstract flowers and greenery. Chief archaeologist Gulsen Kutbay called this fresco probably the only painting of its kind in present-day Turkey.
Although today the cross is probably the most famous and easily recognizable symbol of Christianity around the world, in the early days it was the motif of the Good Shepherd that helped to express and convey the ideas of the faith. According to experts, it expressed salvation, divine guidance and protection.
In addition to the cave painting, the team of archaeologists also uncovered other traces of art. The vaulted walls of the small and cramped space are decorated with images of birds and plants, and there are also portraits of noble men and women.. “Such works show the transition from late paganism to early Christianity. They depict the deceased, who are escorted to the afterlife with dignity and hope,” noted Eren Erten Ertem, an archaeologist from the Iznik Museum.
According to anthropologist Ruken Zeynep Kose, the research also led to the discovery of the skeletons of five people. They identified two young adults and a six-month-old child, due to the poor condition of the remains it was not possible to determine the exact age of the remaining two persons.
