Pope Leo XIV marks Nicaea council’s 1,700th anniversary in İznik

BURSA

Pope Leo XIV on Friday arrived in the northwestern town of İznik (Nicaea) to take part in a landmark liturgy commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a foundational event in Christian history.

The pontiff travelled to İznik from Istanbul aboard a helicopter escorted by Turkish presidential and military aircraft. The delegation circled twice over the ancient basilica site before landing at the town’s stadium, where security and preparations had been underway for days.

The liturgy is being held at the lakeside basilica—believed to be the location of the 325 A.D. council where Christian doctrine was codified and church unity formally addressed. The basilica, dedicated to Saint Neophytos, sank beneath Lake İznik after an earthquake in 740 and was rediscovered in 2014, later opening as an archaeological museum.

Pope Leo’s presence is seen as both a tribute to the council’s historic legacy and a symbolic call for Christian unity and ecumenical dialogue. Local authorities decorated the area with Ottoman-style tiles and completed extensive arrangements reflecting İznik’s heritage. The town has seen a surge in visitors ahead of the ceremony, with officials expecting a significant boost to its international visibility and tourism following the papal visit.

The previous pope had expressed a strong wish to attend the 1,700-year commemoration in İznik, but passed away in April before fulfilling the plan. His final request to his successor reportedly included a plea to “not let İznik be forgotten.”

The pope arrived in Türkiye on Thursday for his first official foreign visit and met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara before continuing on to Istanbul and İznik. The İznik ceremony is considered one of the most symbolically important stops on his multi-day tour.