IZNIK, Turkey — Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered one of the most important finds from Anatolia's early Christian era: a fresco of a Roman-looking Jesus as the ''Good Shepherd.''
The painting was discovered in August in an underground tomb near Iznik, a town in northwestern Turkey that secured its place in Christian history as the place where the Nicene Creed was adopted in A.D. 325. Pope Leo XIV recently visited the town as part of his first overseas trip.
At the time, the region was part of the Roman Empire, and the tomb in the village of Hisardere is believed to date to the 3rd century, a time when Christians still faced widespread persecution.
The Good Shepherd fresco depicts a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat across his shoulders. Researchers say it is one of the rare instances in Anatolia where Jesus is portrayed with distinctly Roman attributes.
Before the cross was widely adopted as Christianity 's universal symbol, the Good Shepherd motif played a key role in expressing faith, indicating protection, salvation and divine guidance.
Despite its central role in early Christianity, however, only a few examples of the Good Shepherd have been found in Anatolia and the one in Hisardere is the best preserved.
The Associated Press was the first international media organization granted access to the tomb. Lead archaeologist Gulsen Kutbay described the artwork as possibly the ''only example of its kind in Anatolia.''
The walls and ceiling of the cramped tomb are decorated with bird and plant motifs. Portraits of noble men and women, accompanied by slave attendants, also decorate the walls.
