In the year 325, Emperor Constantine called the bishops of the Christian world to Nicaea, a lakeside city in northwest Anatolia. The council that met there produced the first form of the Nicene Creed, still said in churches of every tradition. Nicaea is today's İznik, a quiet town about two and a half hours from Istanbul. The 1,700th anniversary of the council in 2025 brought new attention to the town, and it makes a meaningful day trip for church groups starting or ending their journey in Istanbul.

Nicaea in church history

  • The First Council of Nicaea (325): the first ecumenical council, which addressed the Arian controversy, wrote the core of the Nicene Creed and set the principle for the date of Easter.

  • The Second Council of Nicaea (787): the seventh ecumenical council, which ended the first period of iconoclasm and restored the veneration of icons. It met in the church of Hagia Sophia in the town centre.

What to see in İznik

  • The submerged basilica: the foundations of an early church lie in the shallow water of Lake İznik, a few metres from the shore. Spotted from the air in 2014, they are now part of an organised archaeological site on the shore, with a visitor entrance, and have become the symbol of the town's Christian past.

  • Hagia Sophia of Nicaea: the church of the 787 council, later converted into a mosque. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, with modest dress.

  • The city walls and gates: İznik keeps much of its Roman and Byzantine walls, with the Istanbul Gate and the Lefke Gate among the best preserved.

  • The Roman theatre and the tile workshops for which İznik has been famous since Ottoman times.

Planning the day

From Istanbul, İznik is about 140 kilometres by road, across the Osmangazi Bridge over the Gulf of İzmit. A coach takes around two and a half hours each way, depending on traffic. A comfortable plan leaves Istanbul in the morning, spends four to five hours in İznik with lunch by the lake, and returns in the evening. Groups with more time can stay overnight in İznik or continue to Bursa.

A reading by the lake

There is no active church in İznik today. Many groups choose a quiet spot on the lakeshore near the submerged basilica to say the Creed together, which is often the moment people remember most. We find a suitable place and time with your group leader.

When to go and practical points

  • Season: all year, but spring and autumn are the most pleasant. Winter can be cold and grey around the lake.

  • Combining: İznik fits at the start or end of a programme with Istanbul, before flying on to İzmir for the Seven Churches or to Antalya for Paul's first journey.

  • Guide: a guide who knows church history as well as the archaeology turns a small town into the story of the Creed.

Planning with KAMPA

We are based in Istanbul and have organised faith and cultural groups across Türkiye since 1996. We arrange the coach, the guide, lunch and timing, and can combine İznik with your days in Istanbul. See our faith and cultural groups page or send your dates through the form below.