Pope Leo XIV visits the Turkish town of Iznik, fulfilling a trip his predecessor Francis planned to make. DW's correspondent travelled to Iznik ahead of Leo's arrival — and found a town ready to welcome the new pontiff.

İznik

Iznik, a small town near Istanbul, is gaining attention for its role in Christian history as the site of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, where the Nicene Creed was established. Recent archaeological discoveries, including a late 4th-century basilica, and preparations for a papal visit have prompted local artisans to produce ceramics with Christian motifs, aiming to attract more religious tourists.

With fewer than 50,000 residents and no remaining Christian community, Iznik hopes that increased international attention and tourism will boost the local economy. An open-air museum now allows visitors to view the ancient ruins, and shop owners anticipate that the influx of pilgrims and tourists will benefit their businesses.

Turkish town hopes for Christian tourism boost

The small Turkish town of Iznik, a few hours' drive from Istanbul, doesn't immediately look like a crucial site in Christian history. It's known for its beautiful Ottoman-style tiles and ceramics, but now some shops are offering new designs with Christian motifs. Mevlut Da shows us a few he made especially for the papal visit. This tile here shows Jesus' Last Supper. It's the work of one person and it took a month and a half to complete it. Ceramics is a difficult craft, which is why we're very happy that it came out so beautifully. This one depicts the First Council of Nicaea, which took place here 1,700 years ago. That is why the Pope is coming to Iznik. In 325 AD, Constantine the Great gathered hundreds of bishops here from across the Roman Empire. They drew up the first official declaration of Christian faith. It's known as the Nicene Creed and remains foundational for Christians around the world to this day. The First Council of Nicaea is widely seen as one of the most important and influential meetings in Christian history. And yet, its actual location was, until very recently, unknown. In 2014, archaeologist Mustafa Sahin discovered these ruins of an ancient Roman basilica. He tells me he was looking at aerial photos when he spotted the foundations of a large church in the lake. We conducted underwater excavations here for six to seven years, with divers two meters below the surface of the lake. But due to global warming, the water level receded over time and this structure was exposed. Sahin and his team have established that the basilica was built in the late 4th century And they believe it's on the very site where the First Council of Nicaea was held. An open-air museum has recently been set up on the lakeside promenade, where visitors can look at the ruins. I'm here because I'm a pilgrim, I'm going to Jerusalem on a road trip and we wanted to visit important places for Christianity and this city is one of them. Iznik today is a sleepy town with less than 50,000 residents and no remaining Christian community. Some are hoping the Pope's stopover will shine an international spotlight here. I believe that people will come to Iznik once they learn of its existence. And I predict a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists. Of course, we will benefit from this. People will come here for shopping and decorate their homes with our products. A papal visit to celebrate Iznik's Christian past might well ease new life into this small town's future.

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