Bath under Byzantine-era church to come to light soon

A found bath under the Byzantine-era church Balatlar in the northern province of Sinop is gradually being revealed with excavations. The head of excavations, Mimar Sinan University Professor Gülgün Köroğlu said they had reached the bath and were continuing to unearth it.

The Sinop Balatlar Church archaeological work has been continuing since 2010 on architectural remains. Köroğlu said they were working with a 40-person team and plan to extend the excavation area through expropriation.

“We are mostly working on an area called ‘palesta,’ which is the big hall. Because there was a monastery on top of the structure, we are unearthing a cemetery field. Anthropologists are examining it. We also reached the pool of the Roman-era bath in lower stages. Works will continue for six more weeks. At the end of the season, we will shed light on the history of Sinop,” she said.

The professor said the bath was turned into a church in the 4th century. She said, “There was a very important church between the 4th and 6th centuries. Last year, we unearthed a stone chest, where a relic was hidden. But it was broken. We also found many broken sculptures here. We hope that we will find more preserved pieces.”