Dr. Celal S¸imS¸ek/Laodikeia excavation

THE CROSS MARKS THE SPOT. Laodicea is mentioned in the New Testament as a center of one of the earliest Christian communities in Asia Minor evangelized by Paul and his disciples. Archaeologists have recently discovered the large fourth-century church that served as a worship and gathering place for Laodicea’s Byzantine Christians, including this well-preserved marble baptistery with opus sectile pavement.